In The Reflections
by PreciousThings66
Summary: Sarah has been having strange dreams since she left the Labyrinth but she has grown used to them. But, five years later, they begin to change and so does she. Does Jareth have anything to do with it? Or is there something bigger going on? J/S Please R&R
1. Chapter 1

I'm dancing in the crystal ballroom, clad in shimmering white fabric that barely rustles as I move.

We're spinning, dancing, gliding across the floor as though it is ice. Never do we falter or slow. Never do we let go of each other.

We spin to the music, the song that he wrote and that will forever be engraved in my memory.

It's a wonderful feeling, one that I don't ever want to lose, dancing with his arms around me and the feel of his breath on my forehead. I feel alive and peaceful and complete.

As we twirl around again I tilt my head to look up at his face, which is right now looking back at me. His mouth is set in a small smile, his eyes sparkling and intense; he too looks happy and comfortable. It is as though this is where we both feel whole.

It's odd how I can dance so perfectly here. It's effortless and flowing, never a wrong step. I'm certain I would never be able to dance like this with anyone else.

We continue to dance until the last strains of the music tingle in my ears and at last he pulls away, gently bending to press his lips to my hand, he steps back, turns, then slowly fades away as the mists rise around me and my mind drifts away.

Back to the waking world, again.

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><p><strong>Hi!<strong>

**Just a short chapter to begin with. I promise they will get better.**

**So, this is my first attempt at a multichapter fic and to be honest I don't know if I'll actually finish it; I don't know how much time I'll be able to devote to it and I don't even have a plot planned out. I'm just going to start and see where it takes me, so sorry if I stop updating and just abandon it. But I will try to keep it going, though there may be long gaps between updates.**

**Thanks, please R&R**

**PreciousThing66**


	2. Chapter 2

Last night was a good dream. It was the dream of dancing and singing in a room made of crystal. I wonder when I will have that dream again – if it is the same as last time I will have to wait at least a month.

I sigh; why is it that my favorite dreams are the rarest?

I get out of bed and go through my morning routine; showering, dressing, listening to my step-mother trying to get my baby brother – Toby - to eat his breakfast and then calling up to me that mine is on the table. So simple and yet so complex. Karen will hopefully never know that all this could have been taken away from her, all for my stupid, selfish mistake. A mistake thank thankfully I righted.

Now all that is left to suggest what could have been are the friends that no one knows I have, who I can talk to whenever I need them - and have assured me they will always be happy to do so.

And the dreams.

I have some good dreams and some bad and one that I'm not really sure about. The good dreams are wonderful and I wish that I didn't have to wake from them ever. But the bad dreams leave me shaking and screaming, crying just as I was when I first fell asleep. The nights of the bad dreams I cry so much that it's a wonder no one notices my swollen eyes in the morning – or maybe they've just gotten used to it and no longer ask.

My dream last night is one of my best, one where I feel free and happy in a way I never feel normally – especially when dancing! It's irritating; how I can dance perfectly in a dream one night but when I try to dance for real the next day I just end up tripping over my own feet.

But it's as if in every one of my dreams I am able to do something I would never even consider in the waking world – like flying or juggling crystal balls like He did.

These dreams started that night three months ago. The night I wished Toby away and the night I met Him for the first and last time. I learnt so much that night and am now a much better person for it.

I don't really know how to describe what happened that night. Parts of it scared me to death whereas others made me feel complete. It was an adventure that even I could never have dreamed of.

And He was more than I could have dreamed of as well. As cruel and dangerous as I had expected; but also intriguing and – in my peach dream – tender and caring. I was terrified of him, yes, but a part of me is still drawn to him. Not that I'd ever admit that to him.

But it doesn't matter now; I turned him down and will hopefully never see him again.

And I have lots now in my life to look forward to and to occupy my time.

I have my friends, a newfound love for my little brother that I wish I'd had sooner, I'm actually getting along better with my step-mother now and I've learnt that the world isn't fair, you have to work hard to achieve your dreams and they don't just fall into your lap.

But a part of me keeps going over what could have happened. The 'what if's and unanswered questions.

I've thought a lot about His final offer, the offer of my dreams in exchange for my love. I never really thought about it at the time – I was too focused on getting to be back to consider it – but now I've had time to go over it in my head and I think I understand what he was asking, but whether knowing would have changed my answer I have no idea.

On the one hand I've always dreamed of living a fairytale of my own and that was effectively what he was offering; that, of course, would have been very appealing and if I was perhaps a little younger and more selfish I may have accepted.

But of course there would have been down sides; the main one being Toby, I simply could not allow him to be taken away and turned into a goblin. That would be too cruel. There was also the issue of whether I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Him – and given I had no idea what my life span would be in the Underground it could have been a very long life. I had no idea what my feelings for Him were and I still don't, other than that He scared me to death a fair amount of the time and irritated me a lot of the rest; I don't think I'd be able to trust Him let alone offer Him the love that he asked for.

But I cannot deny that there is a part of me that slightly regrets my decision, if only because I didn't get the chance to explain to Him why.

By now I'm down in the kitchen, watching Karen coaxing Toby to eat while I start my own breakfast. I have to say life has become a lot more peaceful since I stopped resenting Karen. I used to think she was trying to take my mother's place in my life, trying to steal Dad away from me, but really she was just trying to have a life with a man she loved and I was just getting in the way of that.

We may not be quite best friends yet but we respect each other and have something in common now due to our shared love of Toby.

Toby himself has grown a little since his little trip Underground and is developing incredibly quickly for his age: last week he said his first word – ironically "goblin" – and has been walking steadily by himself for around two months. He's barely one so this is fairly early for him to have achieved this much.

Hoggle told me that this is probably an effect of having been in the Underground – though he cannot be sure. Apparently no other person has completed the Labyrinth so there is no way to be sure, but he says the magic of that world can speed up development; causes people to physically and mentally grow up. I know this is certainly true of me so maybe it is true for Toby as well.

So it seems we've both benefited from our adventure. I just hope it all doesn't backfire in any more serious way than my dreams.

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><p><strong>Yay! Chapter 2!<strong>

**Chapter 3 will be up shortly; it's already finished but I want to finish chapter 4 before I upload it so you don't have a long gap between chapters.**

**I don't think any of my chapters will be very long but I'll try and do a lot of them.**

**Enjoy**

**Please leave a contribution in the little box :)**

**PT66**


	3. Chapter 3

I'm back again, back in this dream – one of several actually – the dream I'm not sure if I dread or long for. It may be both.

He's smirking at me, as he always does. Leaning against the wall with his arms folded as if he were posing for a vanity photo, and looking perfect for it too; his hair wild but perfectly positioned and his lean frame elegantly poised and perfectly at ease.

He always has that same smile, so condescending and mocking, so sure of itself; never so much as a flicker of doubt in his mismatched eyes. Those eyes are right now staring at me as though I may disappear at any moment, not moving away even for an instant and I'm certain he hasn't blinked.

I don't know why he stares. I don't even know why he's there, but he is and I don't have the strength or willpower to make him leave. He probably wouldn't even if I tried, he obeys no-one.

I can't even bear to meet his eyes with my own; I think that if I did I would crumble completely or maybe even run away, but I will not allow him to see me weak so I stubbornly refuse to meet his piercing gaze.

He never says a word and I do not attempt to break the silence. It isn't an unpleasant silence, just silence, the silence of nothingness. I can only think my imagination is tormenting me by telling me that he has nothing he wants to say to me at all and I truly have no reason to say anything to him, no claim to make him stay or say anything back. I want to speak –God knows how much! – but I cannot bring myself to, for fear of what it may bring.

I am sitting, leaning against the wall opposite him. There are no features to these walls – or – the floor for that matter, just blank white slabs as though they are merely there to give some sense of space and not really of any substantial interest, other than my mild musings.

Wait a minute! That's odd. I don't normally find myself thinking about my surroundings in these dreams; I normally just find myself focusing on not looking at him and speculating about what to say – or not as is usually the case. Never do I actually think about my surroundings or the purpose of this particular dream or nightmare and I'm never normally this lucid.

The dream has changed.

I glance up to his face, not looking at his eyes just seeing enough to judge whether he has changed as the dream has. His smile has widened slightly and there is a definite change in his posture; whereas before he was just leaning on the wall with both his feet firmly on the floor, now one of those leather booted feet is propped against the wall as though ready to push him off from it. His whole body is now tense as though ready to spring and his face is expectant, excited.

But why? Why has this dream suddenly changed? I'm sure nothing in my waking world has changed that would affect it and I can think of no reason I would want to change it – unless it was to turn it into a good dream, which this doesn't seem to be – and there is no way anyone else could deliberately change my dream, no reason they would.

I glance back at the being opposite me. He's looking at me with that same expectant look, as though he is waiting for me to do or say something but I have no idea what. This is maddening! What has changed and what am I meant to do about it?

I try looking around, trying to find some hint of what I'm supposed to do. I find nothing. No mark on the wall or note on the floor or anything useful at all. It must be something so blindingly obvious that I shouldn't need a clue, but what?

I lean back and close my eyes trying to think. The only things that seem to have changed here – that there were to change in the first place - were me and him and since I'm not likely to find the answer searching through my own head – my dreams usually require some sort of physical action on my part – then it must be something to do with him.

Sighing I open my eyes again and look over at him, seeing if anything else has changed other than his relaxed attitude.

No, nothing new, no hints there. So what am I supposed to do now?

I close my eyes again, wracking my brains for anything that might help. I think of what normally happens in this dream; I sit here trying not to be tempted by his unfaltering gaze and wondering what he wants with me. Well now it is fairly clear that he wants something, but after all those hours of contemplation every other time I've had this dream I have no idea what that could be.

Something obvious … Something that I should have probably thought of already… Something to do with him…

But what?

Think. You're meant to be clever. Just think!

Something that I've already thought of – that may even have been there before the dream changed. Something simple.

No! It can't be! But it's so blindingly obvious now that I can't see any other alternative. But it's something every ounce of pride or sense of self-preservation in me is yelling at me not to do. But what else can I do? What else but the thing I've been trying not to do since these dreams began.

I have to look at him. That's what he's waiting for: my acknowledgement of his presence.

But how can I? It's not that I don't want to – quite frankly it's the thing I'd like most to do – but I'm so afraid of what could happen and how I'll react. But it would be so easy …

I glance at him again to see if he has changed and there could be some other option. No such luck.

I look back at the floor, steeling myself for what I have to do and – I have to admit – slightly curious as to what will happen. The part of me that I have always fought in this dream is screaming in triumph now, it's finally getting what it wants, though the part of me that always resisted is right now putting up a very good fight to regain dominance; but my reasoning means I cannot let it back in.

I wait. Wait for what seems like an age before finally, eventually, taking one of the deepest breaths I have ever taken – waking or asleep – and slowly turn my head back towards him.

My eyes drag upwards from his exquisite footwear, to his toned legs, to his studded leather jacket. Slowing now they pass up his neck to his pointed chin and then follow to his smiling mouth.

I stop momentarily, searching my mind desperately to find another way before there is no going back. I find nothing.

Nothing for it then.

My eyes move the last two inches and meet his mismatched blue ones.

It's like lightning. As if the whole world has exploded around me, but it isn't hurting; just tingling with a strange kind of energy - like static. The shock of it throws my head back against the wall, making me dizzy and making my eyes swim for a second. But they do not tear my eyes away from his; it is as if they are locked in place, just like the rest of my body. I cannot run away or break down. I cannot even move.

I am frozen to the spot like a rabbit in the headlights as he moves, seemingly gliding across to me, never breaking eye contact as he bends his head close to mine and murmurs, almost silently in my ear.

"Now it begins."

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><p><strong>Yay, chapter 3!<strong>

**I'm fairly happy with this chapter; it's one I wrote months ago and has been waiting for me to finish chapter 1 and 2 before it could be uploaded.**

**Chapter 4 should follow soon.**

**Hope you like it.**

**Please R&R**

**PT66**


	4. Chapter 4

I wake with a start.

What happened? Why had that dream suddenly changed? What did He mean? What has He done?

I'm worried, for the first time in the last five years I am truly worried. I've been having these dreams for five years and they have never changed; it's always the same dreams just in different orders and frequencies.

But this one changed. He spoke to me.

That's what surprised me most. He has never, in any dream, spoken before and these words weren't exactly casual remarks: "Now it begins".

Now what begins?

I stare around my room, half expecting to see something – anything – out of the ordinary. But there's nothing; my old vanity sitting on the dressing table, the books crammed on the shelves, wardrobe door slightly ajar. All normal for this room.

That's another odd thing. Of all the nights for things to change it's the night I'm back in this room.

It's the holidays and I've just gotten back from college; the eight weeks of summer with my family before I return in the autumn, a very welcome break from the constant workload. This means I have to stay in my old bedroom; the room from my childhood.

I listen very carefully to the sounds of the house around me. It's around three in the morning so there are no footsteps or voices; there's the very faint sound of snoring from Dad and Karen's room and the rattle of the dishwasher downstairs, but other than that there are no other sounds inside the house.

Outside my window the branches of the tree tap gently on the pane as they sway in the strong wind that is now blowing outside. I glance over at it; just to be sure that's all it is and – again – nothing unusual.

My heart rate has now slowed down to normal rate again and my breathing has evened out. I'm still not relaxed but no longer panicking; my brain is now trying to reason out what happened, using logic rather than instinct.

It's useless really. After about half an hour of puzzling and analysing I come up with two conclusions – neither of which seems satisfactory.

One: my own imagination has simply altered the dream. Not likely as I've gone five years with no change and so why didn't anything happen years before this?

I rule this one out.

Two: someone has tampered with my mind and altered my dreams. But who would do that? I have nothing of interest for anyone, unless they simply wish to torment me and if they had I'm sure they would have made that dream much worse.

Again I rule this out.

I'm getting nowhere.

I glance over towards my vanity again; briefly considering calling Hoggle to ask him about it, but I stop myself. Though Hoggle is great on general advice about the Underground and its creatures, and he knows the Labyrinth like the back of his hand, I doubt he'd be much use discerning dreams – that's much more up His street – and if I did ask him that would mean I'd have to tell him about all the dreams and I really don't want to worry him like that. He's paranoid as it is no need to make it worse.

Another part of me also just wants to keep the dreams private. They just feel too personal to talk about, and besides I'm not sure I'd like to admit to Hoggle that I've been dreaming about Him for the past five years. He and Hoggle still don't get along.

I've still managed to keep in touch with Hoggle, Ludo and Didymus over the years, though a little less often recently as it has been difficult to do so without anyone interrupting and I don't want to risk ending up in a mental hospital – though some people think I should be there already.

I don't have any other friends as close as those three. When I was younger I drove everyone away with my bratty ways and now I just don't seem to fit in with anyone; they can never really understand my love of fantasy and often say I act too aloof for them, always with my head in the clouds. I do have some friends but none that I am particularly attached to.

It's a shame, because right now I could really use someone to confide in who won't judge me for my dreams and help me get some answers, rather than just shrugging or declaring they will defend me to the death.

I can't even tell Toby, who – though incredibly perceptive for his age – is still too young to understand some things and, besides, I don't want to get him worried about me. I should be the one protecting him, not the other way around.

I can talk to him about most things to do with the Underground – incredibly he still remembers his short stay in the Goblin City – and I would normally talk over most of my issues with him and Hoggle, but no this one.

I glance at my alarm clock: 4.15am.

Joy!

Toby will probably wake me up around 6.30 so I'd better get some more sleep or I'll fall asleep in the middle of our daily scrabble game – we've taken to playing Didymus every Saturday around midday (when I'm at home) – and that would be sure to attract his attention.

I guess I'll just have to let my worries lie until something strange actually starts happening; nothing seems different at the moment so it could just be my overly active imagination playing tricks on me.

I'll keep my eyes open, though, just in case. I don't trust Him and anything that could bring Him near Toby again is something to avoid. I'll deal with whatever else He'll throw at me but He will not touch my brother.

I won't lose him.

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><p><strong>Hi!<strong>

**Sorry, this was a really boring chapter compared to the tension in the last one. Don't worry I promise in the next one things will get more interesting.**

**Hope you're not too annoyed with this one.**

**Sorry again**

**PT66**

**Please R&R**


	5. Chapter 5

"Sarah!"

Toby's shout feels like a needle stuck in my ear and he bounds into my room, throwing open my curtains – causing me to yell and pull my covers over my head – and leaping onto my bed to shake me fully awake.

"Morning, Goblin." I grumble at him, shoving him off the bed so he falls onto the large beanbag by the side of it – placed there for such an occasion.

"You'd better hurry up," he yells, leaping out and sprinting for the door again; "I talked to Didymus yesterday and he says he'll be popping over early 'cos he has a job this afternoon that can't be rearranged."

I sigh; this is not a surprise but a little annoying – I don't have Toby's ability to wake up completely alert and lively. I get up – slowly – and begin trudging around my room, grabbing my dressing gown and slippers from the chair by my vanity and putting them on as I head downstairs to grab some breakfast before a shower.

"What time is Didymus coming instead then?" I whisper in Toby's ear as I pass him in the living room – where he has already placed himself in front of the TV.

Even though Karen and Dad almost certainly won't be up yet I still keep quiet; it wouldn't do to have them curious about whom Toby and I are meeting and trying to come too.

"He said about 10 o'clock, the normal spot under the willow tree." Toby replies, glancing up briefly from whatever cartoon has him transfixed this time.

"So why the early get up when we still have over three hours?" I ask, mocking annoyance; "Not all of us like to get up with the sun, you know."

I sense rather than see him roll his eyes.

"You say that every day and anyway you said you wanted to get in a few practice games before Didymus actually gets here this time. Don't want to get thrashed again do you?" He taunts back.

"Alright! Alright! No need to remind me. It's bad enough being beaten by a five-year-old without said five-year-old shoving it in my face every opportunity he gets!" He's been going on about it for the last two months; "You know most kids your age can barely spell, let alone come up with words like 'xenophobia' and 'zenith'."

"Well you can only blame yourself for that, you know." He replies, as I emerge from the kitchen – cereal bowl in hand.

"Urgh! Don't remind me!" I groan; "As if I didn't regret wishing you away enough, now I have to pay for it in humiliation."

I flop down on the sofa and begin to eat, careful not spill milk everywhere, and contemplate the effect that the Underground had on Toby. He is now leagues above all the other children in his class – and in fact his school – and is being hailed as a child genius by most of his teachers. He is also a very empathetic little boy who can charm the socks of everyone, even when he is in a foul mood – something he no doubt picked up from Him rather than the goblins.

Much as I am proud of Toby and his achievements I can't help but feel sad for the simple, innocent childhood he is missing out on because of me.

As if sensing where my thoughts are going Toby snuggles up to me on the sofa and wraps his little arms around my middle.

"Sar, you do know I forgave you a long time ago for wishing me away, don't you?" He asks softly, looking slightly worried.

I sigh and look down at him sadly; "I know you did Tobes, but that doesn't mean I've forgiven myself."

I place my cereal on the coffee table and wrap my arms around him, holding him tightly as though afraid to let go

"Well, you should." He retorts, voice slightly muffled; "You were upset and stressed and a teenager, you were bound to let all that out at some time and I was just unlucky."

I loosen my hold slightly so I can look down at him again; "But I shouldn't have taken it out on you, it wasn't your fault I was miserable."

"Well, you told me life isn't fair. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time." Says Toby firmly; "Now quit being guilty or I'll be forced to tickle you 'till you admit you're wrong."

"Not if I tickle you first!" I cry, lunging after him as he wriggles out from my arms, trying to escape.

Even if he beats me at intelligence I can always win when it comes to a tickle war.

I chase him around the living room for a little while, both of us in fits of laughter, until we remember Dad and Karen still asleep upstairs. Then we move back to the sofa, where I retrieve my breakfast and Toby switches the TV back on again. We both watch it while I eat; it's some cartoon about a boy who can wish for things and he has two fairies that grant these wishes. I scoff silently and hear Hoggle's voice in my head: "Shows what you know, don't it." If only they _really_ knew what fairies do.

I can't say why but something feels a little odd to me, as though there is something about me watching the TV with Toby that is off. I try to ignore the feeling and carry on eating, watching the hapless boy make ridiculous wishes – at least I stayed in the realm of the possible with my wish – then try to right them again – now that I can sympathize with.

After one of the more impossible wishes I simply start laughing, it's just too ridiculous.

"What's so funny?" Asks Toby; a little annoyed at the interruption.

"Sorry, Tobes." I wipe the tears from my eyes; "It's just, I can never understand how you kids watch some of these shows; they're just ridiculous."

"Says the person who can't actually see what's on the screen properly."

"I can s- oh dammit!"

I've got it: that's what's odd.

I've grown short-sighted over the years and now I normally wear glasses so I can see the TV, but here I am - on the furthest sofa from the box - seeing the screen perfectly clearly!

"What's wrong, Sarah?"

Toby looks thoroughly confused.

"It's ok, Toby. The thing is I can see what's on the screen. I must have forgotten to take my contact lenses out last night – oh, they're going to be fun to take out later!"

Toby snorts and turns back to the TV. I finish my food and go to put my bowl in the dishwasher before heading upstairs.

I'm hard-pressed not to take the stairs two at a time, but I go slowly so as not to alert Toby that something is off.

The thing is, everything is not as alright as I pretended to him earlier: I have a distinct memory of taking my lenses out before I went to bed last night, so how can I still be seeing clearly?

Once in my room I head straight for the mirror, rubbing my eyes as I go to see if the lenses – that I hope are there – will shift slightly. Nothing.

Once I reach the mirror I lean close and stare into both my eyes in turn. There's nothing in them.

I can see again. Perfect vision, no sign of ever needing glasses.

But how did this happen? How did nature suddenly reverse itself? What does this mean?

And – more importantly – is this good or bad?

* * *

><p><strong>Wow! Dialogue! And something has finally happened; just something little to start off with but it will get more substantial later.<strong>

**I'm quite pleased as this is my longest chapter so far.**

**Hope you like it. It should be more interesting than the last chapter anyway.**

**PT66**

**Please R&R**


	6. Chapter 6

Don't tell Toby.

That is what I keep repeating to myself, over and over inside my head.

Whatever happens don't let Toby find out.

I try to act like nothing is wrong: I shower, get dressed, pack up the scrabble set, food and hand mirror for our meeting with Didymus and play with Toby as though everything is normal. Dad and Karen get up around 7.30 and I tell them Toby and I are going to play in the park, as usual.

I keep rubbing my eyes every few minutes, half-hoping to dislodge the nonexistent lenses, to no avail.

Thankfully Toby doesn't seem to notice a thing and by the time we leave at 8.30, I've almost forgotten amidst his constant talk of tactics and his speculation of what Didymus' special job today is. But then I keep glancing around and noticing the things I shouldn't be seeing and I remember.

We reach the park just before nine and quickly head into the woods by the river, following the bank until we reach a large willow tree with branches that sweep all the way to the ground; creating a thick curtain of green.

This is where we normally meet my Underground friends, it's much easier and less worrying than at home or college; where I am constantly paranoid someone will interrupt and we can never be as boisterous as we want to for fear of being heard. No one else usually ventures into the wood so we are unlikely to be seen, and with Didymus' and Ludo's sharp hearing we can usually make ourselves scarce if anyone should wander our way. It's the perfect place.

Toby and I slip easily through the branches and set up the scrabble board on a useful stump of wood that we dragged in here after Toby complained about the tiles sliding off the board too much. We play a quick warm-up game that lasts about half an hour and then sit and chat about Toby's schoolwork and what I've been doing at college – majoring in English Literature – and my social life – or lack thereof.

Toby can understand my lack of interest in making friends:

"It's not like they'll ever understand you. You've been to a completely different world, faced 'dangers untold' blah blah and the most they're worried about is the next exam or party; it's not like they can compare."

"Plus there's the fact that if I tried to tell them they'd probably think I'm crazy." I add with a laugh.

"Yeah, that too."

I glance down at my watch.

"It's 10.00. Looks like it's time to call the good Sir Knight."

I retrieve the hand mirror from my bag and flip it open.

"Sir Didymus, I need you."

Though Didymus and the others are able to pass between worlds by themselves if they choose to it is easier for them to do if they are called; therefore Toby and I usually prearrange a time to call on them so they can make the crossing with more ease and when we are expecting them. It got very awkward with either them emerging from mirrors and narrowly avoiding getting caught or us calling on them when they were busy or not able to stay for more than a few minutes.

They travel through reflective surfaces; they prefer mirrors or some shiny metal to water or clear glass as the clarity of the reflection also makes it easier to pass. Though they have never explained to Toby and me how they do this, they assure us that all Underground creatures are able to pass between worlds this way, if they so wish; unless they have been forbidden by their monarch or somehow magically prevented, though some creatures find it easier than others. They can use the calls of beings in the other world so long as they have previously met the person who is calling: the magic requires familiarity to work.

Since I know Didymus, Ludo and Hoggle very well it is perfectly easy for them to use my call – or Toby's now since they know him quite well now.

However, the ability to simply converse through mirrors without actually crossing over – as I sometimes do, when I decide I don't want to risk them actually coming through – is a rare occurrence and certainly not something any other human has been able to do. Hoggle and I spent a lot of time discussing it after we discovered this fact and we think it could be one of the 'certain powers' mentioned in the book _The Labyrinth, _but of course there's no way to know for sure. I'm not sure I want to believe everything that's written in that book.

But I don't let my thoughts linger on the possibilities of what those words could mean as, emerging from the mirror like a bubble blown by a small child; gradually, swelling slowly to normal size from the tiny surface of the mirror, is Sir Didymus. First eye-patched head, then velvet coated shoulders and finally his large bushy fox's tail and short, muscled legs.

He leaps from standing on the surface of the mirror onto the leaf-strewn grass and sweeps a low bow to myself and Toby.

"My Lady Sarah and young Sir Toby, greetings, but I am afraid I am not able to remain here with thee as I had arranged."

"But why?" Toby asks, looking dismayed; "You said yesterday your job is this afternoon."

"Aye, young master, it was." Didymus nods sadly; "But matters seem to have accelerated past expectation and his majesty requires me to begin my task immediately. I have but ten minutes with thee before I must depart on my quest."

"Well then what is this quest? Maybe we could help you and speed things up a little. I'm sure his majesty wouldn't object to you receiving some extra help."

"But I would!" I say loudly. Anything that brings Toby closer to Him is, as far I as I'm concerned, out of the question.

"But why not?" Toby asks annoyed, jumping to his feet; "I would be able to help! It's not as if I'm a helpless, little baby any more, Sarah!"

"I'm afraid I must agree with thine sister Sir Toby." Didymus, thankfully, chips in; "Not because I believe thou to be incapable of assisting me, but because I'm afraid his majesty has forbidden me from allowing any other to accompany me on this quest."

Toby deflates sadly while I sigh in relief, thanking Didymus with a grateful look to which he nods in understanding; he knows about my apprehension of Toby coming into contact with Him and has often helped me deter Toby from attempting to reach the Underground. We both know that Toby would no doubt be able to handle himself in that situation, but my instincts tell me not to risk it and Didymus has always told me to trust my instincts and so is willing to help me.

Seeing Toby's disappointment however I glance again at Didymus, hoping he may be able to say something to lessen the blow a little. He nods again.

"However, Master Toby" – my brother's head shoots up – "It may be possible to tell thee a little of my task, in the time we have before I must depart again."

Toby nods eagerly and we all sit down on the ground again to here what the little knight has to say.

Didymus takes a dramatic pause – as is his style – before stating blandly and baldly:

"Someone has been stealing the Labyrinth's magic."

* * *

><p><strong>Another cliffy, sorry.<strong>

**But another fairly long chapter for me - with dialogue as well - so I'm quite happy with this one.**

**Sorry this chapter tool a little longer to write; I was back at school after exam leave this week so I've been a bit busy.**

**So we've finally introduced one of the Labyrinth dwellers: the charming and courageous Sir Didymus. I hope I did OK writing the way he speaks.**

**Hope you lot enjoy it.**

**Keep reviewing, it's good to know what you guys think.**

**PT66**


	7. AN  Name change

**Hi! Me again.**

**About the name change; I was never keen on the original one and I think this one will fit the story better.**

**Sorry if it's confused anyone.**

**Chapter 7 should be up by next week at the latest.**

**Carry on reviewing.**

**PT66**


	8. Chapter 7

"Stealing its magic?"

Toby sounds worried, I sound confused.

"Yes indeed," Didymus nods; "Someone has been drawing magic from it for a long time now and the King has decided to investigate who this scoundrel could be."

"But Hoggle told me only certain people have access to the magic of the Labyrinth." I say, still confused; "Only the creatures of the Labyrinth can use it and only the King can use it to a large extent. How can someone steal it if they cannot get to it?"

"What thou says is true my Lady," Didymus nods; "and that is exactly the problem. Only the King should be able to draw from the Labyrinth's magic and so the news another has been using it is a great worry to his majesty."

"Why is it a worry? Both you and Hoggle have told me plenty of times that the Labyrinth doesn't run out of magic."

"What do you mean?" Now Toby is the confused one.

"As Sir Hoggle and I have already told thine sister, Sir Toby, the Labyrinth – though its magic is used by the King and occasionally his subjects – will never run out of magic. It is like an endless well; constantly replenishing itself."

"How does it do that?" Toby asks, now fascinated.

"Well, Sir Toby, it uses people's imagination of course!" Didymus exclaims, as though it should be obvious. When Toby just looks confused he continues; "Sir Toby, you are aware that the Labyrinth is the realm of dreams, are you not?"

"Of course, Hoggle's told me plenty of times."

"Well dreams depend on imagination. Every time a person on Earth – or any world for that matter – uses their imagination in some way they help replenish the Labyrinth's magic, for example, when they are asleep and dreaming. It only takes the imagination of one person to ensure the Labyrinth will have magic and since there are billions of beings on all worlds there will always be someone imagining; so the magic of the Labyrinth is always there."

"But Didymus if the Labyrinth cannot run out of magic why are you so concerned about someone using it?" I ask, as confused as before.

"My Lady, it is not the fact that the magic itself is a loss, but what the magic could be used for. That is what has the King worried. Who knows what this thief is using the magic for or why they using it. A lot of magic has been drawn from the Labyrinth over the years, so whoever it is possesses a great deal of power and that power could be used for great evil indeed!"

"I see! So what is your task then, to retrieve the magic?"

"Not at all, my Lady! Only the King would be able to take the magic back; but he cannot if he does not know who has taken it."

"Then what do you have to do?"

Didymus' specialty is fighting and rescuing, so if he is not to fight to win the magic back then I can't think what his task would be instead.

"I am afraid, my Lady, I am not at liberty to tell you. It is a matter of the Labyrinth's safety and should anyone discover my purpose it could ruin the entire mission."

"That's not fair!" Toby cries, before realizing what he's just said and scowling as I laugh at him.

Both of us have tried to keep that phrase out of our vocabularies as we both know it won't make any difference, but sometimes one of us slips up and the other one always teases them about it. But right now I'm also very interested it Didymus' mission so I try to hold my laughter for a bit – I'll tease Toby later.

"Didymus it's not as if we'll tell anyone, you know," I say appealing to the knight's logic; "and besides you did say that as Champion of the Labyrinth I have a certain responsibility for it. Shouldn't I have a right to know what's going on and what's being done about it?"

Normally I'm not so concerned about knowing what Didymus' jobs are but – as I said – I do have some responsibility for the Labyrinth and this seems a lot more serious than anything that's happened before. Also with the changes to my dream and my eyesight I feel like I should try and find out as much as possible about anything that could be the cause of it.

My argument seems to have worked as Didymus seems to have an internal argument with himself before nodding and motioning Toby and I closer, so he can keep him voice low as he speaks.

"My Lady presents a good point and since you are both trustworthy I shall confide in you my task. His majesty has instructed me to search for and discover the identity of any being that could have a motive to stealing the magic: enemies of the King, those who seek to become powerful and so on. Once I have exhausted all possibilities I will then report back to his majesty and he will determine those that would have been able to steal the magic and those that would be most dangerous. What he will then do is beyond my knowledge, I am afraid."

"Does that mean we won't be seeing you for a while then, Didymus?" Toby asks.

"I'm afraid so, Sir Toby."Didymus nods sadly.

I've been sitting thinking for a moment, but then a thought occurs to me:

"But why do you now have to leave earlier than you'd already planned? You originally said you wouldn't have to leave until this afternoon."

"True again my Lady, but the situation has changed very recently; the rate of magic now leaving the Labyrinth has increased to over double what it was before and so the urgency of my mission is even greater. That is why I am having to leave earlier than planned."

With that he stands up and gestures to the mirror in my pocket.

"I am afraid my time is up; I must leave you directly. Fare thee well, my Lady – you too Sir Toby."

"Bye Didymus." I say taking out the hand mirror and flipping it open.

"Be careful." Toby adds, giving Didymus a brief hug.

"As always, Sir Toby, I will fight 'til the death or until justice is served; until then I can give no guarantee of my safety, only those whom I defend."

"One last question Didymus," I say as he steps onto the mirror and begins sinking into it; "what could a person do with the amount of magic that has been taken?"

"Who knows, my Lady. Perhaps destroy the King or take the Labyrinth from him. They could certainly control the dreams of almost any being and I am aware enough magic has been taken to be able to turn a human into a fae!"

And with that final, shocking, announcement his head finally sinks into the mirror as he returns to the Labyrinth. Leaving a slightly worried Toby and a very, very worried me behind.

* * *

><p><strong>This chapter was up a lot quicker than I expected! Plus I'm fairly happy with it.<strong>

**So maybe you've got a couple of ideas as to where this story is going - but hopefully not too many!**

**I've now included some of my own ideas as to how the world of the Labyrinth works:  
>1) In chapter 6 about how travelling between worlds works (some more to add to that later though)<br>2) How the magic in the Labyrinth is created and used.**

**I hope you'v understood these, please message me if you didn't and I'll try to clarify for you and then edit the story for others.**

**Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing. Keep it up!**

**PT66**

**P.S. I have a challenge for anyone on deviantART:**

**A drawing of the dream scene in chapter 3, any style you want, you can send a link to my deviant account - **preciousthing66 .deviantart .com - **just take out the spaces.**


	9. Chapter 8

Both Toby and I are quiet as we pack up the Scrabble set and begin the walk home – neither of us feels like eating the food we packed any more.

We're both worried; him for Didymus and the safety of the Labyrinth and me for the same reasons, but also the added worry that the danger may be closer than we know.

Didymus' last words keep repeating in my head: "… control the dreams of almost any being … turn a human into a fae …"

If the direction my thoughts are heading in is right then we really are in trouble.

As we walk I'm incredibly jumpy; starting at every small sound, from the sound of a front door closing or the chirping of a sparrow. Every time my head whips round in the direction of the noise and my heart starts pounding in my chest.

"Why're you so jumpy, Sarah?" Toby asks, as we near the house.

"No reason, Toby." I lie quickly.

He sees through this and cocks an eyebrow at me skeptically.

"Then why do you keep jumping at nothing?"

I sigh; there's no way of easily deceiving my brother, not when I've been so obvious already.

"I'm just worried Toby. All Didymus' talk of danger to the Labyrinth makes me worry that it could somehow come here, find us, hurt you or Dad or Karen. I just don't want any of that to happen, and all because of my stupid wish!" It's half the truth.

"Don't start going on about your wish _again, _Sarah!" Toby groans.

"Well it's true! None of you would have had anything to do with the Labyrinth if I hadn't made it!"

"We've already talked about this today, Sarah. We know you didn't really mean it and you've done everything you can to right it, so don't blame yourself for what you can't control. Besides," He says with a shrug; "it's not as if anything has happened to us yet, so let's not worry too much until it does."

I nod slightly, not telling him my worries; that we may already be being affected by it, are already in danger.

Luckily, he seems to accept this and we carry on in silence.

We reach home and, while Toby goes to share the food with the adults, I immediately head up to my bedroom and sit on my bed – head in hands – trying to think clearly and understand what is going on.

My dreams are being tampered with, that I'm almost certain of; there is no other explanation for them changing. What I don't know is who is doing it or why. If it's true and someone is tampering, that means someone could not only mess with my head but Toby's too and that is the worst thing – from my point of view – that could happen.

One possibility is, of course, Him; I'm sure he would want the chance for revenge on me, for beating him and turning him down, and I know he can already manipulate dreams.

But there's a problem with this. If he can already manipulate dreams why would he need to take more magic? And why would he even tell Didymus something is wrong? It would be far better to keep the whole thing under wraps. Of course, he could just be trying to throw me of his scent, but I doubt it; he would have done a lot better than this.

So who else would have cause to meddle with my dreams? I can think of no one.

But at least Toby doesn't seem to have been affected at all yet. That's a small comfort.

I let this problem lie for now.

The second use of the magic Didymus mentioned to me is – in a way – even more worrying than the first. The thought of not being human is frightening enough if it was just someone else, but the possibility of it being me is even worse. I quite like my species.

I don't know for certain if my change in eyesight actually means that I could be changing, but I'm sure it isn't natural. I don't know what the characteristics of fae are other that the strange eyebrows and tendency to produce glitter, I've only met one so I don't have a lot to go on. All I do know is I don't want to become one.

As for who would want to turn me, the same answers as before come up; either Him trying to get his sick revenge or some unknown, possibly equally dangerous, person.

I know I should talk to Hoggle about this; he would know a lot more about fae than me and possibly have an idea if He was involved – though that's less likely. He could at least give me an idea of something to expect if I were being changed and warnings of any dangers that might be caused by it; being a fae could even entail having magic to deal with and control.

I shudder at the thought of somehow losing control of the magic and hurting the people around me.

No.

If the magic could be dangerous I know I would have to leave. I refuse to put my family in danger with my presence – or anyone else for that matter.

I'll call Hoggle tonight and question him about human-fae transformations. I don't know if I'll tell him why though; I really don't want to draw him into anything either.

If he notices something is wrong I'll tell him or if there is some aspect of transformation that I'll need his help to deal with. Hopefully I'll be completely wrong and I won't be changing at all, but I'm not that much of an optimist when it comes to the supernatural.

Pleased that I've at least made some sort of plan I get up and go downstairs to join the others, I'll call Hoggle early tomorrow when Toby has left the house – he's going to a friend's party tomorrow. At least then I'll have a bit more time to think over what I'll say to Hoggle and see if anything else strange happens.

I just hope it doesn't.

I hope I'm wrong.

* * *

><p><strong>Hi everyone!<strong>

**Sorry this chapter took a bit longer to upload; I had a bit of writers block and revision to do, but it's done now and the next chapter is nearly finished so it'll hopefully be up in the next day or two.**

**Thanks for all the reviews, love you guys.**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter**

**PT66**


	10. Chapter 9

I'm running up spiral stairs, breathing heavy, legs aching, but I have to carry on. I have to reach the top.

100 steps.

150 steps.

200 steps.

Still I keep on climbing. I cannot stop.

I don't know what I'll find when I reach the top but I know I have to get there.

I lift up my skirts and quicken my pace, the rest of my long dress trailing behind me as I run in this endless spiral.

My chest hurts as I take laboured breaths and my legs feel like they are on fire, but still the stairs go on.

How much longer can they carry on for?

Another hundred hurried steps later and still no sign of it ending.

500.

550.

600.

I lose count just after 700 steps.

By now my pace has slowed, but I still have not stopped. I know that no matter what I must keep going.

My steps are shaky now, exhaustion taking over. I slow even more; barely taking 5 steps in a minute, now.

There! A breath of wind whistles down to me and I hear faintly the sound of it rushing through open air.

I break into a run again, not caring for my aching muscles which scream in protest nor my gasping, starved lungs. I race up another dozen tight spirals, praying that my senses haven't betrayed me.

I keep running until I suddenly see light filtering in from just round the next corner. Silver, glowing moonlight.

With one final burst of speed I round the final corner and arrive – panting – at the top of this torturous, unfathomably tall tower.

I step through the doorway at the top and out onto the small balcony that is there waiting for me. I walk right up to the edge and stare down at the view bellow me.

It's the Labyrinth. Spread out bellow like an enormous, intricate tapestry; towering limestone walls round the edges, vivid green hedges and dark, foreboding forests inside that, and finally the dark mass of the junkyard and jumbled mess that is the Goblin City. It is all so small from where I am; the walls are like tiny threads that seem to make up a complex and unreadable picture and the trees of the forests are barely distinguishable from one another, just one dark green shape that sways with the wind.

Beyond the Labyrinth – surrounding it – I can see miles and miles of undulating terrain, all the same colour but it looks as though it has ripples through it like water, and even further beyond I see towering hills and snow-capped mountains; barely the size of mole hills from where I stand, but still glittering under the giant full moon hanging in the sky.

And there, floating just beyond the edge of my small balcony, perfectly round and seeming to glow itself in the reflecting moonlight: a crystal.

It doesn't move; it just hangs there motionless, glistening innocently at me.

I glance away from it for a moment; taking in the tower where I'm standing. It juts up right from the centre on the goblin city: it must come from the castle, but it's so tall that the castle itself is barely visible from the top.

Meanwhile the orb is still hanging there in front of me, drawing my gaze up again.

I reach out to it; trying to touch it, to grab it, from where I am but it is beyond my reach. Still I try to lean out even further, straining over the yawning drop beneath just trying to get at it; to no avail.

But I will not be defeated. I know, now that I am here, I must get to the crystal; just as before I had to reach the top of the stairs. I still don't know why I must, but I must.

So I continue leaning. Out further and further over the edge until it would take only the slightest breath of wind to send me tumbling to my death, but still no success.

I stand back on the balcony, staring hard at the crystal almost as though I am hoping to draw it to me with the sheer force of my stare.

But even as I start to form another plan, a gust of wind, so strong it would fell the strongest ironwood pine, slams into me; forcing me backwards through the doorway, and sends me toppling over.

I feel myself fall backwards down the stairs and put my arms out in a vain attempt to stop the inevitable fall; but even as I rush towards the ground I feel my senses begin to cloud as my mind, with a jolt, pulls itself out of the dream.

* * *

><p><strong>Hi.<strong>

**This is fairly short chapter compared to the last few, but I hope you like it.**

I have drawn a picture to accompany this chapter and I've uploaded it to my deviantART account, which has the same name as my account here and the picture is titled 'Above It All'. Please go and have a look.

**Carry on reviewing :)**

****PT66****


	11. Chapter 10

I pick myself up from the floor, rubbing my shoulder which took the brunt of the fall.

Wonderful! Now on top of everything else I have sleepwalking to add to the mess!

And another changed dream.

The dream I had tonight used to just end as I made it through the doorway at the top of the stairs. It was always very frustrating when I woke up; having just climbed all that way not to find out what was at the top. Well now I know, but apparently there is now something else I have to struggle to get to; and this time it's not as simple as climbing stairs.

But that's not my main worry at the moment.

Another change in the space of two days: I really need to talk to Hoggle now!

I briefly contemplate calling him now but it's nearly morning and Karen always wakes early on a Sunday to make us all a big breakfast; I sometimes get roped in to help and I don't really fancy her walking in on me talking to my mirror.

I listen for noises coming from the hallway or the other rooms; I just hear snores from Dad (I don't know how Karen copes) and snuffles from Toby's room. I'm still the only one awake: at least my landing didn't disturb anyone else.

I focus on the noise from Toby; he's the most likely to be affected by anything supernatural, so I want to be sure he's not having any bad dreams either – that's if mine are exactly 'bad', they're really just strange. He seems to be fine; even breathing, no sign of restlessness. Good.

I hear a bird chirp across the street, probably just waking up to enjoy the good weather, and another slightly further away reply faintly. The trees and bushes rustle and swish in a sudden breeze, but I can still just about hear the birds carry on their melodic conversation.

I sense something odd again, just like yesterday; something that's different, isn't normal, but – as before – I can't place what it is.

Another noise distracts me: the sound creaking of bedsprings from across the hall. That's Karen getting up to make breakfast; I'd better feign sleep if I want to avoid helping – I'm far too distracted to cook today, without setting something on fire!

Floorboards creak as Karen moves around, washing and getting dressed, then I hear her make her way across the landing to my door.

I shut my eyes and slow my breathing just as the door squeaks open. I can feel Karen's eyes on me as she peers round the door, but I keep my face straight and my breathing even and I hear her close the door again. Her footsteps head along the landing and then down the stairs to the kitchen; soon I can hear the clang of a frying pan being put on the stove and the hiss of the gas.

Although the danger has passed I carry on lying there as though asleep: it's easier to think with my eyes closed and no visual distractions.

What could be wrong this time?

From looking around my room earlier I know there is nothing different there and my eyesight hasn't gotten any better or worse since yesterday, but my instincts are still telling me there's something wrong with what my senses are telling me.

I listen to the house again, trying to pick out something – anything – different from the various noises reaching my ears.

There's sizzling of a frying pan from the kitchen and the clink of knives and forks being retrieved from a drawer, no other noises from downstairs. I can hear Dad shifting around slightly – he'll probably be up soon – and Toby is still fast asleep. Nothing unusual at all.

I'm angry at myself. Why am I being so dense?

I think back to what happened yesterday: today feels similar so maybe there will be some clue there. The problem yesterday was my perfect eyesight; nothing wrong or new around, just a change to me physically.

I wiggle my fingers and toes experimentally, as though there could be something different with them: nothing seems to be and – as I open my eyes to look at them – they look the same as well. Scanning over the rest of me reveals nothing else new either and a dash over to the mirror confirms there is nothing changed about my face or hair; just my normal, worried looking, reflection staring back at me.

OK, maybe a physical change isn't it. Let's think about this, another way. I sit back on my bed and close my eyes again.

Yesterday I could tell that there was something wrong with what my senses were telling me, but not that there was anything bad around me; just that how I was receiving the information was different, I was getting more – or clearer – information than before.

My eyes shoot open as I suddenly realise, just like yesterday, what's wrong.

I'm not getting any bad information from my senses, just more information!

I've been listening to the sounds of the house and what's going on outside it since I woke up. What I didn't even consider was that I was hearing more than usual!

The birds I heard earlier would normally have been muffled any almost unnoticeable, but there I was; hearing them clearly, even when the wind picked up! And the noises from around the house – since when could I hear Toby's breathing through nearly six inches of wall! Only if I had my ear pressed to it could I hear that well!

All my senses are sharpening, heightening; improving far beyond what I'm used to. I'm certain nearly all humans would be unable to hear as I'm doing now.

I rush back to the mirror suddenly; remembering one thing Hoggle did mention to me – eons ago – about how fae achieve their greater – than humans at any rate – hearing ability. Not through magic or incredibly sensitive ear drums, but a small physical difference that draws sound waves better into their ear holes.

I turn my head sideways slightly and draw back my hair, to give me an unobstructed view of the side of my head.

There it is. A physical difference I failed to notice on my swift once-over of myself.

Plain for all to see; my pale and delicate ear in sharp relief against my almost black hair.

And particularly sharp now as, with my now unimpaired sight I could see, there was a slight but definite point to it.

Just like an elf.

Just like a fae.

* * *

><p><strong>Hi! I'm back :) Sorry this update took a while, things have been a bit busy.<strong>

**Updating will probably be a bit hit and miss over the next few weeks but I will add chapters as often as possible.**

**Sorry if it's a while till the next one.**

**Hope you liked this one.**

**PT66**


	12. Chapter 11

I'm in a daze that morning.

I barely notice the conversation through breakfast and only speak when answering a question. Toby can tell that something is wrong, but thankfully Karen distracts him with talk of the party and his present for Robbie.

As soon as I can I escape from the Karen's excited chatter and retreat to the relative quiet of my room. But the reminder of the change is still there: I can still hear everything that's going on downstairs, as well as the street outside and the trees rustling behind the house. So much that I shouldn't be able to hear.

Another problem is that, since I am aware of them being there, I can feel the points on my ears too. I can feel them being tickled by my hair and occasionally, when my hair slips, them exposed to the cool air around me.

Fortunately they are fairly easily hidden by my hair or I wouldn't have left my room at all this morning. At least I got to eat breakfast: small comfort.

I really need to talk to Hoggle now. There's little doubt left in me now: I'm turning into a fae. I'm no longer completely human.

I feel strangely numb; I don't think the realization has quite hit me yet. I know the shock will wear off at some point and then I'll probably break down and scream and cry and throw a tantrum, just like I used to when I was still a spoiled little girl. I just have to hold it in until everyone's out of the house and can't get worried or curious.

I hear the front door slam at that moment: Dad heading out to work, it's a shame he has to work even on a Sunday. One down, two to go.

I know evading Toby will be difficult. He's already noticed something is wrong and once the distraction of the party wears off he'll be up here like a shot, demanding I tell him what's happened. I'll have to avoid him until Karen manages to drag him out of the house, at least an hour away.

Unfortunately my door does not have a lock on it, so there is no way of keeping him out of here once he's free. I'll have to find somewhere to go where he won't find me.

Since the idea of locking myself in the bathroom for an hour isn't appealing, I decide to leave the house until the others have to leave for the party.

Grabbing a sunhat that hangs down over my ears, just in case, my bag and latest book, I run downstairs, slip my sandals on and hurry out of the front door.

Just as I am pulling it closed, Toby and Karen come around the corner from the living room. Karen has her back to me but Toby can see me clearly. His expression tells me he's realized something is up and wants to know what it is.

Knowing there's no way to dissuade him I quickly mouth "Later" and shut the door before he can protest and demand to know, now.

I practically sprint across the road, not even bothering to watch for cars, and race through the small opening in the opposite hedge that leads to a little-known footpath; one that Karen has expressly forbidden Toby from using, for fear of him getting lost or kidnapped. I have no such worries at the moment: I can handle myself well enough in a fight – thank goodness for extra-curricular self-defense lessons – and I've disobeyed Karen before and have already ventured this way enough times to know it like the back of my hand.

I dodge nettles and brambles as I carry on down the path at a fast pace; just needing to find a place to sit and read, escape into someone else's world for just a little while and forget my own troubles.

About five minutes later the path widens and begins to wind through trees until a small clearing with a rotting picnic table in the centre, no doubt dragged there by some drunken teens years ago.

I stop here, rubbing the few nettle stings I failed to avoid on my legs, and sit down on the edge of the bench. It's quiet here, even with my now-extended hearing, so I can almost imagine nothing is different.

I pull out my book and flip to my page, trying to take in the words; but even in my book there are reminders of my predicament! The girl in the book has also just discovered she now has pointed elf ears! I can't even focus on the words properly and even when I do they aren't helping me forget.

I snap the book shut again and shove it roughly back into the bag, no longer caring about creasing the pages. I stare around me at the rotting vegetation and moss-covered bows of the trees, feeling anger and despair shoot through me; making my whole body tremble and my eyes start to water.

I dig my nails into my palms to try and take away some of the pain I'm feeling. The pain for my lost humanity, the unknown dangers that I may now face as part of another world, the fear of what the rest of the transformation might bring. I have no idea what I'm dealing with here. At least in the Labyrinth I had some idea of what might happen at the end. Now I don't even know if humans can survive being changed, let alone what will happen to me afterwards.

Will I have to leave, go and live in the Underground, lose my life and family Above? I just don't know.

I let the tears flow as I have the breakdown I knew was coming. Face down against the rotting wood, I let it all out; away from prying eyes or concerned questions. It's what I need; I have to let loose my emotions on my own before trying to deal with anyone else.

I have no idea how long I lie there, just sobbing and sobbing, running over all the worst what-ifs in my head. Not caring how far-fetched they may be.

But soon the scenarios run out and reason begins to catch up.

As the tears slow and my breathing changes back from choked gasps to a steady rhythm, the anger I'd kept down while I let the despair out begins to surface.

I'm not just scared. I'm furious!

My fists clench and I slam them down the table-top, causing the fragile wood to buckle and creak. How dare someone do this!

I want to know who's done this to me! Who's sick game this is and what I have to do to win it. I refuse to have my life dictated and played with!

My anger is now simmering away and a steely determination is taking it's place. I may not know what's coming but I am not going to cower away and let someone else win. I am the Champion of the Labyrinth: I am not a coward. I will face whatever is coming head-on.

Wiping the remains of my tears away, I stand: my jaw set, eyes hard and cold.

I'll talk to Hoggle: find out who could have done this.

And then I'll find them.

Whoever has done this, they had better be prepared.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey guys!<strong>

**This should be the first of two or three chapters uploaded this week: I'm trying to get done as much as possible before I vanish for a few weeks. Luckily I've got till nearly the end of the month to get the next chapters done so there will be plenty for you guys to read while I'm gone.**

**Hope you like this chapter, it's a bit more thoughts and feeling again rather than dialogue but there'll be more of that next chapter and I'm going to try and introduce Jareth in a few chapters time, mabye a chapter focused just on him.**

**Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing and please keep them coming, good and bad (not too harsh though, just constructive criticism).**

**Enjoy**

**PT66**


	13. Chapter 12

My journey back down the footpath seems a lot shorter than on the way there, but that may be because I'm not longer concentrating on where I'm going or avoiding plants.

I walk with my chin held up proudly and my back straight; the picture of dignity and determination – or so I hope. I'm not in the mood to be messed with and I want to show it.

I emerge from the hedge opposite the house and cross the road swiftly, noting as I do that Karen's car is no longer in the driveway – she and Toby have left.

I quickly cross the distance between me and the front door; unlocking it, slipping inside and slamming it again in a matter of seconds. The stairs and landing fly past and soon I'm back in front of my bedroom mirror again, taking a deep breath to steady myself: I don't want to just have a panic attack and start ranting angrily at Hoggle.

One last glance around my room to check I'm alone and a moment to listen for noises anywhere else in the house and I'm sure I'm ready. Time to face whatever's coming.

One last breath, and then I call, loudly and clearly; "Hoggle, I need you."

I wait. One minute.

Two.

Five minutes slip by; with me sitting in silence, staring at my lonely reflection in the mirror. No friendly dwarf looking back at me.

I shake my head and try again, louder; "Hoggle, I need you."

Still nothing.

Starting to lose patience now, I half yell; "Hoggle, this is serious! I need you!"

The space where he should be is still empty.

Now I'm getting desperate, properly shouting now I slam my fist down on the dressing table and call; "Hoggle! Please answer me. This is an emergency, I need you!"

Again there is no answer.

Letting out a strangled scream I lurch away from the mirror and throw myself down on the bed, my mind in turmoil and very close to panic.

Why won't Hoggle answer? Never before has he failed to answer a call; occasionally it'd be a couple of minutes before he could actually talk, if he was busy, but he'd always give some sign that he'd heard. This time there was nothing.

What could've happened? Is Hoggle alright? Has somebody gotten to him? If not, then why won't he come?

Could whoever has changed me have done this too? Are they trying to cut me off from my friends, leave me alone and unprotected? Well then they've got it wrong, I don't need protection; but it would've made me feel better to have my friends here with me.

What do I do now? I have no-one to talk to about what's going on and not a clue about what to expect.

I'm exhausted with worry and my fit earlier has robbed me of most of my energy. As I run over everything again in my head and contemplate what could've happened to make Hoggle ignore me, I feel myself slowing slip away; until I fall into a troubled sleep.

…..

_I'm back on the endless stairs again, stretching away far above me._

_But this time I know they have an end._

_I climb them swiftly, ignoring the pain of it; just knowing I will eventually reach the top keeps me going._

_The light appears above me and I rush through the doorway, onto the balcony overlooking the Labyrinth._

_And there it is. The crystal floating just out of my reach._

_As before, I lean over the edge straining to reach it but with no success. I don't know how long I spend just trying to extend my reach far enough, until my arms ache and my legs are chaffed from leaning on the cold stone of the balustrade._

_I sink to the floor by the door, leaning on the wall, and stare at the crystal; considering what to try next._

_And I have an idea._

_It's crazy, suicidal, but it could work. I don't really seem to care about the dangers; I just know I need to get to the crystal, whatever it takes._

_I stand - legs still shaky from the stairs - and move forwards again towards the edge of the balcony._

_Instead of leaning on the balustrade, this time I carefully climb onto it until I am standing upright, being buffeted by the wind but somehow keeping my balance._

_The crystal is still there, floating and twinkling and I stare at it as I prepare myself for what I must do. I take a deep breath, close my eyes for a moment and – in a moment of pure adrenaline and madness – jump._

_Time seems to slow as I flying through the air towards the crystal, arms outstretched ready to grab it. I see the glowing orb come closer and closer until it is within reach._

_My hands shoot out a grab it, pulling it to my chest, as my momentum halts and I fall._

_Fall through the air, my hair whipping behind me, as the Labyrinth bellow rushes up to meet me._

…

I shoot awake, gasping for breath.

I don't fall. Luckily this time I seem to have stayed lying down on my bed.

It's changed again, that dream, and I've had the same dream twice in a row; that's certainly never happened before.

I'm still breathing hard, all my worries have come back to me on waking and I know, more than ever, I need Hoggle's help. I shakily move of the bed and back over to the mirror.

Drawing on all of the desperation and anger I've felt in the last few hours, I yell into the mirror; "Hoggle, I need you!"

Nothing.

I scream in anger, all my rage coming pouring out again. I feel an object appear in my hand and I lob it as hard as I can across the room; needing to relieve some of this anger, even if it means destroying my room.

But just as I turn back to glare into the unresponsive mirror, I hear something that makes me freeze and my insides go numb with shock and fear.

The object I threw hitting my wardrobe door and the sound of shattering crystal.

Slowly, I turn back round to face my room. There on the floor, shimmering in the electric light from the ceiling, are brilliant razor shards. Shards from a shattered crystal ball.

* * *

><p><strong>Yay! Finished!<strong>

**Thanks for all the reviews so far, you guys are awesome!**

**Well, that's chapter 12 for you; hope you like it.**

**Don't know when the next chapter will be: I'm about do disappear off for about 3 weeks so it may be a while. I'll try and get another one written before I leave on Saturday and maybe another in about two weeks, when I have a little time at home before I leave again; can't make any promises though.**

**Keep on reviewing**

**See you soon.**

**PT66 xxx**


	14. Chapter 13

For a moment I just stand staring; the worried frustration of less than a second ago suddenly replaced with the cold knot of fear, a fear that fills my lungs like cold air and makes the breath catch in my throat.

_Oh God, I just threw a crystal. How could I have just thrown a crystal?_

The broken shards still lie on the floor, catching the light and shining like cats' eyes in car headlights.

I blink, in the vain hope that they will be gone when my eyes reopen.

My faint hopes fail me again.

I half-run half-stumble across the room, panic starting to bubble around the edges of the fear. The shards are now slowly disintegrating, leaving a glittery residue over the carpet. I kick the shards that remain across the room; trying to obliterate them, destroy the evidence that they ever existed.

But even as they bounce off the walls and the bookcase, the glitter remains; creating small explosions as the pieces of crystal impact on the hard surfaces, like a sparkling layer of dust. A reminder of what I'm trying so hard to convince myself couldn't have happened.

I'm throwing crystals.

Not just crystals that I pick up either: crystals that somehow appear in my hand.

Oh, this is bad.

And now I can't even ask Hoggle for help as he is not answering my call.

Why won't he answer? It can't be that he isn't hearing me: he has told me that they always hear the calls even if they don't answer them. That means he is either he is ignoring me - which I refuse to believe, he's my best friend why would he? - or something is stopping him coming through.

The thought that something is deliberately keeping him away is to chilling to think about for more than a few moments. I try and switch to another train of thought.

I gingerly make my way across the room and sink onto my bed, trying to find something else to think about - to distract myself from the fear that is still making me shiver - but every avenue gives the same result.

I must find out what's going on.

I can't carry on like this, not knowing and waiting for something worse to happen.

Despite my need for action though, I staying sitting. I feel drained: exhausted. But I was asleep not ten minutes ago, how can I still be tired?

But I am; bone tired.

I look over my shoulder at the unresponsive mirror. My reflection stares back at me, dark circles prominent under its eyes; standing out starkly against the pale skin. The tip of on of my now-pointy ears pokes out through my hair.

I look away again; this isn't making me feel any better.

I fight the weight that feels like cotton wool behind my eyes and try wracking my brains for what feels like the thousandth time, but I still come up with nothing.

I stare at my hands, open in my lap.

I need to find out what's happening.

I need answers.

I need help.

There must me someone who can help me.

A crystal appears.

It's very sudden. One moment my hands are empty then I blink and suddenly they are holding a hard, cold sphere. And this one I don't throw, just stare at the face I can suddenly see inside it.

It's a familiar face, but not one I've been hoping to see again – not soon anyway.

His face.

_I asked for help. Why are you showing me him?_

Wild blonde hair that falls in wispy strands past his shoulders, piercing mismatched blue eyes, a pale and sharply defined face; a face showing a vague, detached surprise as it stares back at me through the crystal. Strikingly beautiful, arrogant and disdainful as I remember, but beautiful none-the-less; but somehow in reality even more so than my memories showed. The kind of thing you can only truly appreciate when it's in front of you, just as it is in front of me now.

And he's staring at me. As if he can truly see me as I see him.

I see his mouth move, saying something I cannot hear but – even without sound – I know what it is and it makes me shiver just as it did when he said it before.

One word.

"Sarah."

I feel weak. All the exhaustion I have been fighting off is closing in on me again.

This time I cannot fight it.

The crystal falls from my fingers, floating slowly to the floor and bursting in a glittering cloud, as I keel over sideways onto the bed, my strength leaving me. My eyelids fall shut, no energy left to keep them open.

Everything feels so heavy and I am not strong enough to support them any longer.

The only thing I can manage to do, before sleep forces itself upon me, is say his name. It's barely more than a whisper, but still audible: the name that I have not once uttered since I last saw Him, five years ago.

The name of the Goblin King.

"Jareth."

And as consciousness finally slips away from me I hear – as if from a distance – a deep and achingly familiar voice above me reply, with the faintest hint of a chuckle:

"Oh, precious thing, what have you gotten yourself into now?"

* * *

><p><strong>Yay! Finally another chapter.<strong>

**Well done and thank you if you've stuck around and waited all this time. And thank you to all of you who've favourited and kept reviewing even when I disappeared.**

**Sorry this took longer than the 3 weeks I said it would: things have been a little hectic lately with holidaying, camps, results, work experience etc.**

**Finally Jareth makes a real appearance and he will feature heavily in the story from now on.**

**This chapter is a little short compared to some of the others but I didn't want to keep you waiting any longer and there's not much more I can add to this without it dragging a bit (hopefully it doesn't anyway). The next one will be a very short chapter that I will hopefully upload later this evening or early tomorrow.**

**Chapter 14 will be entirely from Jareth's point of view, though it will not be very long.**

**Hope you guys enjoy this.**

**Please R&R**

**PT66**


	15. Chapter 14

There she is.

Just as lovely as I remember, just as vibrant and cruel and vulnerable.

But this time she looks tired. She looks drained, physically and emotionally.

Something is wrong, badly wrong, and whatever it is, I'm certain, is the reason I can see her now.

Of all the ways and times I had hoped and dreamed of seeing her again, this was not it.

I stare down at her prone form on the bed, completely oblivious, in her unconsciousness, to my presence. But she'll find out I'm here soon, I just have to wait till she wakes.

I wonder what her reaction will be.

Scream? Demand I leave? Blame all her troubles on me? Of all these, the latter is most likely. I know a warm welcome would be too much to expect, though I still can't help but hope-

_No!_

I cannot allow myself to think like that.

_She turned you down, Jareth! She is the reason you have suffered for five years, the cause of all your pain. You cannot succumb to her again!_

But the hopeful spark is still there. It appeared the moment she did.

And wasn't that a surprise.

The appearance of a crystal, floating in the middle of my throne room; with her face staring out of it at me.

But, momentarily, my brain was too shocked at her appearance to act. All I could do was stare, and say the name of this fragile creature that had haunted my memory and existence for five years.

"Sarah."

Then she vanished.

I thought that was it; that this brief glimpse was all I would have and I would never see her again.

But then I heard it.

Fainter than a whisper: her voice uttering my name, that one word that allowed me back into her life again. That pulled me in whether I wanted to come or not.

And now I stand here, knowing I have every right and reason to leave but not heeding them.

I could leave. I have answered the summons, I was bound to by my own magic; but, now I have come, I can leave whenever I please.

So why don't I?

_Good question._

* * *

><p><strong>As I said this is a very short chapter, just a quick insight into Jareth's head.<strong>

**Most of the rest of the story will be just Sarah's POV, but some of you wanted something from Jareth so here it is :)**

**Hope you like it.**

**Next chapter will be up soon, we'll finally get some dialogue between Sarah and Jareth.**

**Please R&R**

**PT66**


	16. Chapter 15

I have wings.

That's the first thing I think of.

I'm flying with wings over a landscape of twisting hedges, walls and passages.

The Labyrinth.

And I'm viewing it all from above as some sort of bird. Curiouser and curiouser…

I smile inwardly at the _Alice_ quote. It was never one of my favourite books but some things still stuck.

And it fits this situation.

Things do just keep getting stranger and stranger: first these dreams, then the change to them, then the changes to my body, and finally the throwing crystals. There is something else I feel I should remember, some other change more significant than the others, but I can't put my finger on it.

Never mind, I'm sure I'll remember it later.

I also note that my rationality of thinking is also a lot clearer, even more so than in that first changed dream as this time there is also a certain detachment. Maybe because I am flying so high I feel I am above and beyond everything.

And it's not hard to stay that way.

It takes no effort to remain in the air, it just seems natural every so often to give a flap of my wings and soar onwards. I turn left with a slight dip of that wing and swoop round in a wide arc, heading back towards the castle.

It looms in front of me; not the dark foreboding shape I first perceived it to be when I ran bellow in those winding passages. It is an impressive structure – no denying that – tall and fortified, not to be trifled with, but it also has an elegance and beauty in the twisting shape and the way the stones glisten in the sun, shining from behind me.

Parts of it still make me shiver though. That room of stairs and doors is still too strange to think about and it was there that the panic set it, the thought that I may be too late and Toby would be lost forever. I don't ever want to relive that. And there was Him too, he sang to me, offered me my dreams and more, he-

No!

I practically spasm in the air; I remember what it was, what was so important.

Jareth is here!

Not just in my dream, in my home.

Where Toby is.

I have to get him out.

Without a second thought I angle my feathered body downwards. I plunge towards the ground, spiralling faster and faster, just praying that somehow it will wake me, not knowing any other way. As the ground rushes to meet me I close my eyes, not stopping, just clinging to the thought that this may force me back into consciousness.

Everything goes black.

Now I must face Him.

* * *

><p><strong>Just something to reassure you all that I haven't disappeared.<strong>

**Sorry it's been ages since I've updated: writing is having to take a backseat to school work and other commitments at the moment, but I'm still determined to finish this story. If you ever start worrying I've abandoned this story just message me until I write again, I want to keep you guys happy.**

**There isn't much in this chapter, it's just to keep you ticking over till I have a little more time - maybe in a week or two.**

**There will be plenty of Sarah+Jareth dialogue next time I write but I'm afraid I will need time to writ that, I want to make it good stuff.**

**Hope you like this little nibble.**

**Sorry again for the wait.**

**PT66**

**Please R&R**


	17. Chapter 16

I'm awake, but I don't open my eyes.

I know he's there; I can feel the presence at the foot of my bed, as well as here the faint sound of his breathing. But I keep my eyes shut, not sure whether I want to acknowledge him and get this whole ordeal over with or try and postpone it until I feel braver.

He clearly has his own plans.

"You know precious, I'm not going anywhere so you may as well acknowledge me now and get it over with."

I open my eyes and glare at him.

"Really? And here I was thinking that if I ignored you, you might get the message and go away."

"Come now precious,"- I wince at the pet name –"you really should know better than that."

"I can hope can't I," I grumble, pushing myself up from where I'm sprawled across the mattress and attempt to move as far away from him as possible without making it obvious; "I thought you would get the hint through my being asleep when you arrived."

"Quite the contrary actually: I think you'll find you were only unconscious for about a minute."

I glance over at the clock. Sure enough it's only about an hour since I got home. Damn it.

I cross my arms and turn to face him, propping myself against my headboard; properly looking at him for the first time.

He hasn't changed much: still the same hair and strange-shaped eyebrows, same arrogant stance, but I have to say he looks a little tired, not as unburdened as he once was. Something has clearly been depriving him of sleep lately.

_He still manages to look gorgeous though, _my traitorous mind whispers; _not many men can still do that while sleep-deprived_.

The little voice is right, he does look good: especially in that familiar maroon leather jacket.

Despite the truth of this, I shake that thought away: I don't need distractions at the moment and it's bad enough without them coming from my own mind.

I decide to cut to the chase.

"What do you want, Jareth?"

"My, my, rather impatient today aren't we? I would've thought you'd want a little catch up first before getting to the serious talk."

He gets another glare, which he responds to with a smirk and a cocky raised eyebrow. I know he's just baiting me now.

"Jareth, you said if I wanted to get this over with I'd have to talk to you. I am talking, so let's not beat about the bush, please; I'm not in the mood for your mind games."

"Clearly."

We both fall silent: me looking to him, waiting for his response to my earlier question, and him back at me as though he were also expecting something. This lasts for a few seconds before I break the silence.

"Well?"

"'Well' what, precious –"

"Stop calling me that!"

Another raised eyebrow: "I don't know what you are expecting me to say."

"An answer to my question would be a good start!"

"As usual you ask me for something I cannot give."

"And why not?"

"Simple: you called me here, I did not come of my own volition therefore I have no reason to 'want' to be here. If you want an answer to that question you'd have to ask yourself why you summoned me."

"I didn't –"

"You. Said. My. Name. In my realm that constitutes a summoning: surely your moronic friends have explained that to you?"

I'm about to defend my friends, but in answer to his question I shake my head, they haven't. Why would they have failed to mention that? They'll get a talking to later – if I can get the mirror to work again.

Jareth gives a frustrated sigh; "Well, since they seem to have failed in that I'll have to explain, won't I?"

He crosses to my dressing table a stands with his back to me, facing the mirror and staring into it.

"You are aware of course that your _friends_ are able to cross to visit you more easily when you call them."

I nod, then realize he can't see it; "Yes, I am."

"Well, with fae monarchs the effect of a call extends a lot further than that. If we are called – by name or with the 'right words' – we have no choice but to respond: we are literally pulled across the worlds to the caller. You said my name: therefore I had to come. Make sense now?"

"Yes." I growl mentally cursing myself for that momentary lapse of care.

"Good." He turns to face me; "Now that that is cleared up, would _you_ care to explain to _me_ what I'm doing here?"

"Well I didn't summon you on purpose!"

"That may be true, but – willingly or not – there has to have been a reason. What happened to make you so… careless? And how in the worlds did you manage to send that crystal to me?"

I freeze. "You saw me through the crystal too?"

"Of course I did; that is a two-way means of communication, or at least that particular crystal was. Though I notice that that is not the only crystal to have been in this room lately." He nods towards the spot at the foot of the wardrobe door, still coated in that fine layer of glitter. "Who in the worlds have you been getting those from, Sarah?"

I don't answer. I'm not sure I want to confide in him what's been going on, and I'm still not sure he isn't the cause of it.

"Precious, my patience is not limitless."

The continued use of the pet-name as well as the condescending tone he's using does it. I may have inadvertently brought him here and he may not even be to blame for this, but this treatment is not something I'm going to take.

"Like you don't already know!" I burst out. "Why couldn't you have just left me alone after I beat you, hmm? I may have hurt you or humiliated you but that gives you no right to interfere in my life like this!"

I know I'm being petty, and his expression tells me he has noticed this, but I don't care. I've tried to be as reasonable as possible with him while he's just laughed at me and talked as if to a child: if he thinks I'm still a child then I'll act like one.

"You stole my brother, tried to kill me, drugged me and now this too! What in the world made you even think this was justified?"

I stop there, breathing heavily, and stare at him; half-shocked at my own actions but glad to have been able to finally let my frustrations out at someone.

"Precious, -" another glare from me "- I'm afraid I still have no idea as to what you are referring. I simply responded to a summons today with no idea as to the reason behind it, found you lying unconscious on your bed. Now you see fit to accuse me off being the cause of it. Pray tell, how do you expect me to cause something I am not even yet aware of?"

"Well who else would cause it?"

"_Cause what?_ You still seem to have missed my crucial point."

With one final huff I pull back my hair from over my left ear, finally letting him see it's new, pointed shape and at the same time asking; "And you didn't notice this before because…?"

He ignores the question, staring – clearly shocked – at my ear. For a moment I wonder what could have happened for him to have not noticed this in the time I was asleep, but then he speaks again; knocking me off my train of thought.

"Well now, you do seem to have gotten yourself in a bit of a pickle, haven't you?"

The mocking tone is back, though I can still see the shock in his eyes.

"Well now that you know what's wrong would you care to give me an explanation?"

"I cannot."

"Why not?" I half-shout, my control slipping again – this is happening far too often lately.

"Simple. I did not cause it."

* * *

><p><strong>"...in a bit of a pickle..." *giggle*<strong>

**Sorry, couldn't resist that. I may not be a very Jarethy thing to say but it was funny to write. And we finally have the Sarah/Jareth dialogue. Hope I did him justice.**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter, now that I've finally finished it. Well done if you've lasted since the last update.**

**I've got a free week now so I'll try and add a few more chapters before I disappear again. No sign of things letting up I'm afraid, I'm still rather bogged down with everything.**

**Thank you to all of you who've been sticking with me and reviewing: especially CrazyinABottle, find your North Star, VampChick76, Bowie'sMistress, Trelweny Rosephoenixwolf and Kiari Ferrari, who've been reviewing all the way through and thank you to everyone else who's reviewed, favourited and alerted this story. It's great to know you guys are enjoying it.**

**Keep it up guys :)**

**PT66**


	18. Chapter 17

"You didn't cause it! What do you mean you didn't cause it?"

"Precisely that, precious: I did not – as you have been insinuating – make this happen."

When I do not look convinced he elaborates, again as if he were speaking to a child; "Or at least not it the way you have been suggesting. So if you would prefer I will rephrase: I did not deliberately, knowingly or intentionally cause this to happen. I may have inadvertently caused it, due to our previous encounter, but you have my word this was never my plan or intention and I have not allowed it to happen other than through my ignorance. Satisfied?"

"For now."

"You wound me with your lack of faith."

I shoot him a withering look, to which he smiles again. Meanwhile, a new idea has come to me.

"Jareth, Didymus told me someone had been taking magic from the Labyrinth."

"Indeed? I don't recall giving him permission to reveal that."

"He's my best friend and I am 'Champion of the Labyrinth', apparently. I think he'd still be well within his duties to tell me that. Besides, did you specifically say he couldn't tell me?"

"No I did not."

"Then you can't punish him for something you forgot."

"Still about fairness are we then?"

"Shut up, you know what I meant."

"Perhaps."

I shake my head in exasperation, but I know I have won this battle: Jareth always manages to twist words and now that's being used against him, a taste of his own medicine. I'm right and he knows it, he just won't admit it, and besides I do have every right to know what is happening in the Labyrinth.

"Well anyway, before you got off topic, Didymus said enough magic had been stolen to change a human to a fae."

"True." He seems to be contemplating, catching up with my train of thought.

"Well, could this be where it's been going? To me. To change me."

"Hmm… highly possible. May I perform a little test – just to be certain?"

"Okay…" I'm slightly wary about this, about letting him come any closer. The fact that he has now conjured a crystal and is now holding it out to me is not helping matters.

He notices my apprehension and gives an exasperated sigh.

"If I'd wanted to do anything… unpleasant to you, don't you think I would have done it while you were asleep?"

"Not necessarily." But I take the crystal from his hand anyway; trying to ignore the fact that my fingers brush against his as I do so, sending a shiver up my arm.

As soon as the crystal has left contact with his skin it bursts, showering me in residue. Before I have a chance to complain at this I feel something travel through me like an electric shock, causing me to yelp in surprise, and I feel a sharp pain around my left temple, like a tiny needle in the side of my brain.

My hand flies not the spot at the same time my eyes snap to the Goblin King who is watching me reaction carefully.

"You said nothing unpleasant! A little warning would have been nice, now I feel like someone's stuck a pin in my head!"

But even as the words leave my mouth the sensation fades and I'm left rubbing the side of my head, glaring again at the fae before me.

"Was there any point in that or were you just trying to torment me?"

With a snort he flops – if I can call it that as he still manages to make it graceful – down onto the end of my bed.

"Really, my dear, you should be relieved you reacted the way you did."

"How did you arrive at that conclusion? I don't see now pain and discomfort is meant to make me feel better."

"_If_ you'll let me speak, I shall explain. The spell contained in that crystal was a magic removal spell," – I'm about to interject but he holds up a hand – "had you experienced no discomfort at all it would have meant the spell had worked and there would be no magic left in you now. You clearly did experience something and therefore the magic is still in you."

"And how is this a good thing?"

He ignores me.

"Since the magic has not left you it means it was meant to be there. Had it have left you it would mean that either it was forced into you, by a being who had no right to do so, or you stole it somehow: the magic would be resisting being in you and so would have willingly left. It has remained in you and so is content to stay there and will do you no harm."

I think about this for a moment or two. So the magic has not been forced on me by someone or something, that's a small comfort, and it will not harm me while I have it, now that is definitely a good thing.

I look to Jareth again; "Okay, so we know that the magic will not harm me, but weren't you trying to find out if it was the magic from the Labyrinth?"

"Indeed I was and your reaction to the spell has verified that you were indeed correct."

When I just look confused again he explains; "The reaction to the spell depends on the origin of the magic: yours, namely the pain in you head, is the reaction characteristic of magic from the Labyrinth. Had the same spell been performed on myself or perhaps one of my subjects the effect would have been the same."

I push aside the temptation to ask for a demonstration – I'd like to see how he'd enjoy it – and return to the issue at hand.

"So, now that we know where the magic is from, why do I have it? You said you hadn't given it to me but it was not forced into me by anyone else: where else could it have come from?"

"As you yourself said earlier: you are the Champion of the Labyrinth. Does it not seem likely that this is one of the consequences of that?"

"But then, surely, you would have known about it?"

"Not necessarily, precious. Thought I may be caretaker and ruler of the Labyrinth it is able to act independently, without my knowledge or consent. Besides, there has never been a Champion before and so there would have been no way for me to anticipate this or for it to have been recorded by anyone else."

I do have to hand it to him: this makes sense. But I still have one final question left.

"Alright, so say I believe all of this and accept that the magic is just part of my role as Champion. That still does not explain why I am suddenly changing species! Why am I becoming a fae?"

Jareth stands up again and paces towards the glitter-coated spot by the wardrobe. He pauses for a second as though contemplating how to phrase what he is about to say next, and then he turns to face me again.

"I said before that the magic in you will not harm you. While that is, strictly, true there is one catch: it will not harm you so long as your body is able to contend with it. The more magic you possess the less able your human body will be able to cope. Judging from the magic I can sense was in this crystal that you had, and the one you sent to me, there is an awful lot of magic being channeled into you."

He pauses again, as though for dramatic effect, and then states – quite calmly; "If you were to be human and received this amount of magic your body would not cope. Without becoming a fae this amount of power would kill you."

"So I have no choice. I'm stuck as a fae for the rest of my life."

"So it may seem."

Oh shoot.

* * *

><p><strong>Oh shoot indeed!<strong>

**I've tried to get a fair amount of explanation into this chapter, but don't worry there's still more mystery to come and there are a few things that are still to be explained (like the dreams - hehe). Let me know if there's anything you didn't quite understand and I'll try and fix it for you.**

**I'm afraid I'm about to disappear for another few weeks: schoolwork is calling again and my time will be packed once more. Please stick around, I will finish this.**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**Keep reviewing.**

**PT66**


	19. Chapter 18

It's not a pleasant thing: finding out you are no longer the same race you were born as. Even worse as I was not even expecting it or willing for it to happen. Had I been given the choice things may have been different.

As it is I try to find a loophole.

"Surely, you could just take the magic out of me? I mean: you just did a magic removal spell. Couldn't you do it again and just make sure it works this time?"

"I could try, but that would be an even more painful experience than the previous attempt was. I don't even know if you would survive it: it has certainly never been done before."

Death.

Now that is not an option.

I try another tack; "Couldn't you lessen the amount of magic I'm receiving? Make it enough so that my human body can still cope with it."

"Again, I could: but it would make no difference to you now. The process of changing into a fae is an irreversible thing; if you were to, suddenly, only have magic enough for a human you would not go back to normal. You would simply remain what you are now – a half-fae – with a lesser amount of magic than you are capable of using."

"So I could stop the transformation here? Stop anything else changing and just have to cope with what's happened so far?"

"No."

"What! Jareth, you just said I could limit the magic I was receiving!"

He looks angry now: "I said _if_ you could change the amount of magic. There is no way for me to prevent the magic flowing into you and attempting to remove some if it from you would have the same risks as before: taking any of your magic would carry the risk of fatality, even if it were just a fraction."

I slump back onto the bed: defeated. So I'm going to become a fully-fledged magical creature whether I like it or not, and the all-mighty Goblin King can do nothing to stop it.

In a small voice I ask; "What about my family?"

"What about your family?"

"Well what am I going to tell them? Surely they'll notice when I start to get those weird eye-brow things that you have, and how exactly am I going to hide the magic from them? It's not as if I know how to control it!"

"There are ways to conceal your fae traits: there are certain spells that you can learn which give the illusion of your normal appearance. These can be learnt, and through that training you can learn to control your magic."

"And who exactly is going to teach me?" I ask, already having an idea of the answer and not very happy with it.

He too acts as though it were fairly obvious; "I shall."

I cock an eyebrow at him; "And what makes you think I'd trust you to teach me? Why would you even want to in the first place?"

"Well, since, as my Champion," – I consider telling him I'm not 'his' anything – "you are, in a way, under my jurisdiction – though not to a great extent," he adds, seeing me open my mouth to protest; "and it is within my duties to keep you from harm. It would also be in my better interests to train you myself rather than allowing another to take advantage of the power you possess."

"That may be true, but you haven't answered my first question."

His smirk this time is utterly confident; "My dear, much as I hate to agree with your dwarf friend: what choice do you have?"

He's right again; there is no-one else who I know could teach me, and I need to learn how to control this power – soon.

I take another deep breath – I seem to be doing that a lot lately as well – and nod, accepting his statement.

He is now smiling triumphantly, knowing he is holding all the power at the moment and there is nothing I can do. He holds out his hand to me, clearly wanting to return to the Underground, but I'm not about to be at his beck and call: I may need him but he still has something to gain from teaching me and I'm going to use that to my full advantage. He has no power over me.

I shake my head at his hand; "I'm not going yet."

He smirks again, thinking I'm just being petulant; "Precious, you and I both know this cannot wait and denial will not help you in the slightest."

"I'm not in denial, I know what I need to do but I have some other things to do first."

"Such as?"

"I need to give my family an explanation of some sort. What would they think if I just vanished without saying goodbye? I need a cover story. How long do you think this will take anyway?"

"That mostly depends on how apt you art to learning, but – assuming your natural abilities are at least average – I would think no more than two or three months: depending on how much time I myself can delegate to teaching."

Two months. Longer than I'd hoped for but at least he didn't say a year – that would be harder to explain away.

"Alright. Give me until tomorrow to spin them a story; I'll call on you tomorrow evening to take me to the Underground. I want Toby out of the house when you're here."

"Such mistrust…"

"You don't exactly have a very good track record."

"Neither do you if I remember correctly."

"Different leagues, Jareth. I never really meant it and you know it." I snap, nettled.

"As I have already explained, I had little choice in the matter: you called, I came, I took Toby. I intended it even less than you did."

Damn fae rules.

"Fine, but I still don't want you here."

"Your stubbornness will be the death of you. I'm afraid I cannot simply leave, precious. What would you do if you accidentally let some magic loose or someone spotted your ears?"

"I'd make something up!" I defend, but even to me it sounds flimsy; "I may not be able to control my magic that well but I'm sure I could keep it in check."

"All the same I will have to keep watch on you just in case."

"And how exactly -"

"I have my ways, but if it makes you happier I shall stay out of sight and not enter the house unless I am needed."

It's not what I wanted but it will have to do: my options are shrinking.

"OK, I'll agree to that." I hear a car pull back into the driveway; "That'll be Karen back with Toby. You'd better buzz off before he comes flying up here, full of questions about my weird behaviour."

With a final nod and a murmur of "Until tomorrow, precious" he vanishes, leaving me spluttering in a cloud of glitter residue.

Once I get to the Underground I'm going to have to do something about that nickname.

I can almost hear the faint sound of his mocking laughter, echoing across the worlds.

Cursing under my breath and hurriedly sweeping glitter off my bed, I check the room for any other clues that the precocious five-year-old might pick up on: nothing that can be solved soon enough. I decide to negate the risk to head downstairs and meet him head-on.

Still thinking of interesting new names for a certain other-worldly monarch, I head for the landing; praying that Toby will be too full of sugar to interrogate me straight away.

One prying, blonde male is enough for now.

* * *

><p><strong>Woohoo! We're going to the Underground!<strong>

**I'm back! Wow, it's been ages since I've updated. Unfortunately this will not last for long as I still have another fortnight of school, but I have managed to get this chapter done for all you wonderful readers who are still with me.**

**It seems a lot of the last few chapters have been Jareth giving long explanations, but I hope it's helping to explain things a bit - I like everything to feel it has a reason and hate when things just happen with no explanation as to how or why. As I said, we'll be travelling to the Underground in the next chapter and maybe even start magic training (oh the excitment!).**

**Life has been generally good to me recently - I am now legally and adult! - and the workload is lessening slightly as the holidays draw nearer. Plus I have offers from four out of my five universities (one rejection but I knew it was a long shot), so all I need to do now is decide which one I like best.**

**Once Christmas rolls around I'm sure the chapters will begin to come more regularly again.**

**Hope you enjoyed this one.**

**Please R&R**

**PT66 xxx**


	20. Chapter 19

My bad luck for the day seems to have run its course – until this evening that is.

Toby has been a too busy jabbering away about the party – clearly hyper from all the sugar – and pestering Karen about when dinner will be, to question me about this morning yet. And thank goodness, as it's only now that I realize I haven't eaten anything all day; having either been out of the house or unconscious for most of the day, and I am quite happy to aid Toby in his proddings about food – much to Karen's amusement.

Fortunately neither of us has to wait long, as Dad comes home within the hour and Karen is able to place dinner on the table within twenty minutes of his arrival.

During the main course hardly anyone says a word, but during dessert I decide to broach the subject of my upcoming absence.

Taking a deep breath and quickly running over my cover story in my head I dive straight in; "I have to go back to college in the morning, Dad."

He looks up, clearly surprised and disappointed; "Why? You still have two months of holiday left, why do they need you back?"

Karen is also frowning: we'd planned to go for a girls-day-out on Wednesday - just the two of us - and now that appears to be out of the question.

"I got a call from my tutor today. Apparently he hasn't received a copy of my latest set of written work and there's another that apparently got lost in the pipeline and I'll have to redo so he can send it off again." They all know that all my work is stored on the system at the college, so I'd have to go back to access it.

"And they couldn't just wait until after the break for you to send them? Surely that would be reasonable."

I shake my head; "The deadline is next Friday and they never accept excuses of things getting lost."

The two of them seem to mull it over for a minutes or two; muttering between themselves at the other end of the table. I know they'll let me go, though: they know how much my degree means to me and they won't sabotage it. I feel a little pang at the deception and the fact that I'm going to get behind on my work anyway.

Toby, meanwhile, is clearly dismayed by the idea; but also looking as though he does not believe my cover story. I shoot him a look that clearly says "I'll tell you later." to which he replies with one saying "You'd better!" I know I'll have to tell him: if only to help cover with Dad and Karen – I dread to think what would happen if they tried to phone the college only to find I'm not there! But it will also make me feel a little less guilty – one fewer person to lie to.

The adults seem to have stopped muttering and are nodding at each other. They turn back to face us.

"So, when do you have to leave?" Dad asks, still looking disappointed but trying to be matter-of-fact.

"I've booked a flight for tomorrow morning. I thought; the sooner I get out the more likely it is I can still come back for the end of the holiday." It's a compromise that I hope they'll accept, and if I do prove proficient at learning magic I may be able to come back by then.

"We'll be able to see you off then?" asks Karen, slightly happier now at that prospect.

I shake my head again; "I'll have to leave very early tomorrow – probably before you three get up – and I've already booked myself a taxi. I know you two both have work tomorrow and I'm already making things difficult: you'll have to find someone to look after Toby, now that I'm gone. I really don't want to give you any more trouble."

"Well, if you're sure… I just wish we had a bit more time."

"Me too, Karen, but I really can't do anything about it." At least that's the truth.

"I know, dear. Don't worry; you just do what you have to."

"Thanks. I will." That is a promise I am definitely keeping, even if they don't know it.

Toby is now looking even more curious: he could sense the seriousness of my last statement, but at least he has the sense to keep his mouth shut while we're at the table. I try to send him a reassuring look but he misses it as he glances at the clock.

The rest of dinner is spent trying to enjoy the time I have left with my family. I manage to answer most of their questions about my travelling and what really went wrong with my papers, and by the end of evening I'm sure that my story's strong enough to fool them. All I have to do now is get Toby on my side, so he can keep up pretences while I'm away.

Toby's bedtime soon ticks around and, as usual, I offer to go up and read him a story; to which the adults readily agree. I say my goodnights and goodbyes before I go up – not wanting to have to worry about it after talking to Toby. By the time I get upstairs he's already in his pyjamas and ready for me, clearly ready for my overdue explanation.

Sure enough, as soon as I enter the room he's at me like a rabid dog:

"Right, what's up? It's something to do with what happened this morning isn't it? Why did you go out so early? And where in the world are you going, because it sure isn't back to college?"

"Wow! You're really not in the mood for a story first are you?"

He just glares at me, not at all in the mood for humor.

I sigh and plop down on the bed next to him. Deciding to go for the direct approach, I pull back my hair from the side of the face – being reminded of doing exactly the same thing this morning.

His reaction is exactly as I expected. First there's shock, then confusion and finally fear – not for himself but for me.

"That's what I think it is, isn't it?" he says in a small voice.

"If what you think it is, is a fae's ear, then: yes." I nod.

"Is that what was wrong this morning or is that the reason you're leaving?"

"That was this morning," I give him a sad smile; "That's why I rushed out of the house without a word: I just needed to process it by myself and I couldn't do that with all of you around."

"So, why are you leaving? You could easily hide that." But he already has an idea of the answer; I can see it in his big, sad eyes.

"As I'm sure you've guessed there are more than just pointy ears. There are… powers too: powers that I can't control and that I don't want to risk hurting you all with."

He nods, ever the practical child; "So where are you going to go?"

"The Underground."

It trips so easily off my tongue, but I'm surprised with how easily I've accepted this fact: I have to go back, there's nowhere else to run. I never really thought I'd be returning there after so long, I'm not even sure how I feel about it; part of me is quite excited about it, but another part is terrified.

"Will you be coming back?"

I'm startled by the question; "Of course I am! Why wouldn't I?"

"But you said it wouldn't be safe-"

"And what do you think I'll be doing while I'm there? Sitting under a rock and playing Scrabble? I'll be learning how to control this magic. I should be able to come back in a couple of months, if all goes well."

He's looking a lot happier now; "Who'll be teaching you?"

I hesitate momentarily before answering; "The Goblin King."

"Really?" he doesn't sound surprised, more like he's trying to ascertain how I feel about the situation.

"Yeah. It seems I accidentally summoned him this morning and – obviously – I thought it was him who had caused this."

"And it wasn't?"

"No, he was just as surprised as you – if not more! But he offered to teach me himself. I'm still not sure why: there's a slight advantage in it for him, but not enough to go to all this trouble." This has been niggling at me for a while. The Goblin King wouldn't just do something for nothing.

"Do you trust him?"

I snort; "Not as far as I can throw him, but for all your sakes I don't have much choice."

He's frowning, but I know he can't argue with that.

After a few moments of thoughtful silence he asks; "How will I call you if I need you?"

I hadn't thought about that.

"I suppose you could just try yelling my name – or his I suppose, but make sure he knows it's me you want to talk to. I don't know if mirrors will work: mine seems to have stopped working at the moment. I'll ask him about that later."

"OK."

After another pause he tentatively leans forward and hugs me; "I'll miss you Sarah."

I hug back; "I'll miss you too squirt. Don't be too much trouble to your new babysitter."

"Am I ever?"

I laugh, ruffling his hair as I stand up and walk to the door. The last thing I hear, before it closes behind me, is him saying – very quietly; "Good luck, sis."

I sigh for the millionth time and push open my own door just down the hallway. It's time to call the Goblin King.

Gathering all of my determination, I close my eyes and whisper; "Jareth."

"Sarah." Murmurs a voice by my ear and I squeal and jump sideways in surprise, turning to glare at the grinning fae. He leans back on the door looking smug, but there's a faint look of mischief there as well; signaling there's worse to come.

"No need to give me heart attack!" I grumble widening the gap between us by stepping over to my dresser to pick up a few things I know I'll need, packing them into a bag on the floor.

"No harm done." He shrugs; "Master Toby seems to be growing up well, but I had no idea you were poisoning him against me."

"He had to know what you were capable of. But don't worry: he's a lot more inclined to like you than I am – not that it matters."

"Doesn't it?"

"Not if you know what's good for you!"

"That's the second time in five minutes you've displayed a blatant lack of trust in me! I'm beginning to wonder if I should be this generous with you."

"You were listening! And you're the one talking about lack of trust!"

"All the same, if you don't trust me to teach you properly maybe we should just end this right here…"

"No." I murmur, barely loud enough to be heard.

"What was that?" He smirks, knowing he's now got the upper hand.

"I need to be taught."

"And how does that involve me in any way?"

I'm playing right into his hands, but I can't let him leave me like this.

"I need _you_ to teach me. I can't learn from anyone else."

"What was that first bit?" he says, cupping his hand to his ear.

"I said: 'I need you'." I say through gritted teeth, watching the triumphant look spread across his face.

"That was all I needed to hear."

And with that he closes the gap between us and grabs my hand, I barely have time to grab my bag of things; before we disappear in a shower of glitter.

Back to the Underground we go.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm back again!<strong>

**I know I said I'd upload more chapters over Christmas and lo and behold my holidays are nearly over and this is all I have done. Unfortunately life has seen fit to throw a lot my way this holiday and I really haven't had heaps of time. On the plus side this is a really long chapter (the longest so far), because you guys deserve it! I think it may be my best yet.**

**I want to thank all of you who've been reading. Since the last update the story has reached 50 reviews, 50 Alerts and 28 Favs, so thank you: all of you who thought this story was worth reading. It will be finished, for you guys!**

**On a slightly sadder note, this story is really going to have to take a backseat for now. I have heaps of school stuff to do and I am actually starting another project, which I really love and is taking up a lot of my thought space (it's a completely original thing - not a fanfiction), so things are going to slow down here - if they weren't slow enough already!**

**I'm going to become one of the writers who hasn't completely abandonned the story, but doesn't update very often. It will be while between updates, but they will come and I will try and make them as good and long as possible. I will make a promise now: this story will be finished! This will be what I write when I need a break or have a block on my other project - which will definitely happen.**

**I will keep you updated on my other project and let you know when it's ready for reading.**

**So, sorry if my updates are even fewer and further between than before.**

**I love you all.**

**PT66**


	21. Chapter 20

My feet find ground again almost instantly, but I don't open my eyes until I'm certain I'm not going to collapse. It's not exactly an uncomfortable method of transport, just very disorientating: rather like the falling into a swimming pool and not knowing which way is up.

I can hear the chatter of the goblins around me, even a few chickens, and the breathing of the largest being – besides me – in the room.

I also realise: I'm still holding his hand, and it's been several seconds since we materialised.

I release it quickly, opening my eyes at the same time.

We're in the throne room. I only got a glimpse of it last time, and so take a moment or two to take it in this time – I'll be living here for the next few weeks, better get used to it. Of course, last time there weren't any goblins - let alone the hundred or so that are crowded in right now - but the furnishings are more or less the same. The level of cleanliness on the other hand leaves a lot to be desired.

In other words: it's pretty filthy.

The whole place stinks of chickens and goblin beer. I resist the urge to wrinkle my nose - I don't know what Jareth would make of that - and turn to face the throne; where said fae has now deposited himself.

"What now?"

"Excuse me?" he seems surprised at the question.

"What do I do now? Surely you don't expect me to stand here until you decide you want to teach me?"

I'm perfectly serious, but he seems to be finding something funny about it.

"Well, since you are in my kingdom and under my control-" I snort, I'll show him 'under his control' "-you could indeed find yourself standing there until I'm ready for you."

My eyebrows go up, daring him to continue on his current path.

"But, since I'm already being generous today; I will have one of my goblins take you to where you'll be staying - Squeep!"

I'm momentarily confused – thinking he's started spouting nonsense words – but I then realise he is referring to the small goblin that has hobbled up to me, and is now tugging on the leg of my jeans.

"Lady, follow me. I show you your room."

"Take her to the Blue Room, Squeep." Says Jareth; waving us away.

With a final nod to the king I follow the creature out of the room, glad to be out of His Glitteriness' presence for a little while – only around ten minutes and he's already grating on my nerves!

Squeep leads me through a small door in the corner of the room, which in turn opens onto a tight spiral staircase. We follow this down for about thirty steps before Squeep vanishes behind a tapestry, that looks very out-of-place hanging by the stairs.

Assuming that this must be some sort of secret passage, I push the fabric aside and stumble into the darkness beyond. When the tapestry swings back into place I can't even see my hand in front of my face, but I carry on blind; edging my way forwards, hand on the wall at all times.

The darkness is so absolute that I nearly trip over Squeep, who seems to have stopped to wait for me.

One moment I'm walking along a relatively smooth surface, the next there is a small creature jumping up and down beneath my feet; causing me to trip and nearly fall flat on my face.

I panic and a crystal forms in my hand before I even have time to think about it.

This crystal is emitting a pulsing blue light, that illuminates the narrow corridor and shows me the little goblin: gawking up at the light, his large eyes wide.

"Lady alright?" he asks tentatively, clearly surprised by my display of magic.

"I'm fine, Squeep. You just surprised me that's all."

But I'm not alright. The light from the crystal flickers as I feel myself go light-headed. I drop it as my fingers weaken and my legs fold beneath me.

"Lady!"

My head cracks against the stone wall as I fall, and all I can do is mutter "Oh, not again" as my vision clouds over and turns black.

xxx

_The Labyrinth is on fire around me._

_Its walls are crumbling into ash and the hedges become beacons; lighting up the blackness of the sky for brief seconds, before collapsing in on themselves, as their supports are eaten away beneath them._

_My lungs are full of the soot and smoke, and I try not to cough as I struggle through the charred rumble; heading for the only place I cannot see flames: the Goblin City._

_I can hear screams nearby, from the creatures who – like me – are fleeing the inferno. I sob for them as I run: knowing that their home is being destroyed and I cannot even help them to escape it. But I cannot risk stopping, or I will be caught and burnt alive myself._

_I pass something that looks like it was once the Bog of Stench, but now the bog itself has boiled away: leaving only a foul smell in the air and a gaping ditch in the ground where the water once was. The trees on the far side are still burning, and the bridge - which was rebuilt after my first visit - is now only a smoking pile on the ground._

_I have to pass through the forest to get to the City. I dodge falling branches and jump over crackling bushes, earning myself many burns and scratches from near misses. As I jump out of the way of another flaming limb, I hear something that causes my heart to freeze its frantic rhythm in my chest: a ground-shaking howl, one that I know well and love dearly._

_Ludo._

_And he sounds as if he's in pain._

_I change my course, now heading for the source of the screaming. But even as I run the sound begins to dim. It grows fainter and fainter until it is little more than a dull keening, and then stops._

_I cry out his name, trying to reach him through the flaming barrier between us, but I get no reply. Still I fight on. I hardly care for the scorching heat any more; I'm just desperate to reach my friend before it's too late._

_I leap through one last gap between two tall oak-like trees, its leaves now falling like orange snowflakes to the ground, and find myself on the edge of a burning wasteland._

_This was once the junkyard. I can see a singed bicycle lying on its side a few feet away from me. The scrap piles seem to have gone up instantaneously and burnt incredibly quickly. For I was certain they were not burning before I passed the bog – I would have seen from the hill I was standing on – and yet here they are, completely incinerated._

_In the middle of them I can see a small hillock. It's still burning, and so clearly is not made from the same stuff as the other piles._

_I draw closer; feeling a knot in my stomach grow bigger and bigger until it presses into my lungs and makes me take great gasping breaths._

_I can smell burning fur._

_I know what the heap is before I reach it. I didn't run fast enough to save him._

_I collapse on the ground a few metres away, my laboured breathing replaced by sobs as I gaze at the gentle giant. He didn't deserve this._

_I cover my face with my hands as the tears flood down my face._

_As my mind begins to cloud and I leave my dream-self behind._

* * *

><p><strong>Happy Valentine's Day! 3<br>I thought I'd give you all a treat, as I've been gone a while.**

**Sorry this had to end on a depressing note, but don't worry: Ludo is fine really. I thought I'd show you one of Sarah's really bad dreams. She seems to be collapsing a lot lately doesn't she?**

**Not much of Jareth this time, but there'll be more of him next chapter.**

**Things are going fairly well for my other project - if a little slowly. I'm currently doing a bit more planning for it, so I've had a bit more time for fanfic writing lately. The next chapter is already in the works.**

**Hope you guys enjoyed this one.**

**Thanks for being so patient.**

**PT66 xxx**


	22. Chapter 21

When I reopen my eyes I see blue. Not the blue of the sky but that of a forget-me-not, just coming into bloom. It's the canopy of a bed – a luxurious four-poster one at that. Glancing to my left I can see sky and sea shades covering the carpet and walls. This must be why it's called the Blue Room.

I can feel the tears on my cheeks.

That was one of my worst dreams. It's hard to rank them but this is more-or-less right at the bottom – on a level with a few others.

I wipe the tears away, as I always do. It was just a dream.

There's a throbbing lump on the back of my head from where I hit the wall earlier and my hip is sore as well – that must have been from hitting the floor. What's wrong with me? That's the second time I've collapsed in 24 hours.

"Should I ask why I've - yet again - been summoned, only to find you unconscious?"

It seems someone else has been thinking along similar lines. I turn my head on the pillow to look to where he's leaning on the wall – startlingly similar in pose to in my odd dream.

"Not if you want an answer. I'm afraid I haven't got one."

"I thought not." He nodded; "Your knowledge of fae magic and its effects seems to be very limited; I did not expect you be aware of this feature – though I would have thought it wouldn't be difficult to work out."

His tone is condescending again.

I prop myself up on my elbows, the better to have a conversation: "You mean you know what's making me spontaneously faint every few hours?"

I'm slightly annoyed that he didn't mention this when he found me asleep the first time.

"I have theory." He replies nonchalantly.

"Care to share it?" I inquire, my voice starting to show my irritation.

"Perhaps…" he bares his teeth in that mischievous grin again; "What will an explanation get me? I've been relatively free with my answers to your questions thus far: it's about time I started exacting payment."

My eyes narrow; "Don't test me, Jareth. I'm really not in the mood for any more games – I did rather like being human, you know."

If anything the grin widens slightly.

"Is that a threat, precious? I'm afraid it's a rather unimpressive one. There's little you can do to me with your current lack of magical control."

"You'd be surprised what a good kick can do for me." I growl.

That makes his face a bit less cheerful. Though not nearly as much as I would like. He does relent however – those tights really do offer no protection.

"Very well, since you are clearly tried for patience. Be warned though; I will not be as obliging from now on."

"Duly noted." I snap: I don't like thinking about what his prices in future will be.

"Good."

He pushes off from the wall and comes to sit at the foot of the bed; I briefly consider trying to move away.

"It's quite simple, really."

I snort. Maybe to someone who's grown up around magic; sadly I haven't had such a luxury.

He ignores me and carries on; "I've already explained the effects that magic could have on you as a human: too much and you start suffering for it. Your… vulnerability, shall we say, while you are not fully fae also leaves you open to similar effects. Squeep tells me that you conjured a light crystal just before you passed out – a powerful one at that – and this seems to have been too much for your system: it therefore shut itself down to stop any more harm from coming to you."

I sit and digest this for a moment. He's right: it does make some sense.

"So, what you're saying," I say slowly; "is that I can't actually perform any magic until I'm fully fae? I have to wait until I've completely changed?"

The fact that I'm going to truly learn magic is one of the small comforts in this entire scenario. Now it seems I'll have to wait to get this – however small – incentive. I'm liking this even less than before.

But Jareth shakes his head; "On the contrary, my dear, it is possibly even more essential that you start learning as soon as possible. The more magic you learn to control, the faster you will change as your body tries to contend with it."

"But that makes no sense! If the magic could kill me, then surely using it is just going to keep making me faint and kill me faster!"

It may just be that the knock on my head has addled my brains, but his method seems completely ridiculous. But, yet again, I seem to be disappointing him with my reasoning, as he's shaking his head again; that superior grin still gracing his features. I feel a strong urge to slap him.

"Sarah," his use of my name sends an involuntary shiver down my spine, I realize that since he's reappeared in my life he's only used it once or twice; "so long as we stay within certain limits there is no reason to assume that it will kill you. The main aim is you gaining control and that can be done with limited magic use. In other words, not enough magic to kill you."

I'm tempted to ask how he can be so certain, but I don't want to retract his offer due to my rudeness, so instead I nod my compliance.

It seems he's done sharing information now. He stands and skirts round the edge of the bed to the door – the larger of two in the room. But before he leaves he turns, as if he's forgotten something, and throws a crystal at me. I catch it reflexively but it bursts on contact with my skin – yet again covering me in residue. The purpose of this crystal is obvious as the aches on my head and side vanish instantly.

"Thank you." I say, slightly surprised.

He inclines his head politely; "I may be cruel at times, but only when it is warranted. You – I'm sure – did not intend to injure yourself."

I shake my head; I most certainly did not.

"I will begin your tuition tomorrow," he continues; "once you have become accustomed to the castle. The passage you came into this room by is behind the tapestry of the mountains, it leads to many rooms in the castle, including my study. You may only enter that room with my permission. It is where we shall have our first lesson tomorrow, climb up three floors and it's the door on the left. That smaller door leads to the bathroom and this one to the main corridors – the library is the fourth door on the right if you wish to use it."

That brightens my mood considerably. At least I'll be able to read. Maybe this won't be an unbearable two months.

"What time should I arrive tomorrow?" I ask, a little more cheerfully.

"You may discuss that with me at breakfast, which is at eight o'clock." Oh great, another early riser. I stare down at my lap morosely, good mood dampened. "Perhaps, then, you can tell me why it was you were crying in your sleep."

My head snaps up at that, but he's already closed the door.

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><p><strong>That'll be an interesting conversation.<strong>

**Is it just me or is Jareth really trying to rile Sarah up at times? But what can we expect? He isn't exactly known for being predictable. ;)**

**I'd noticed it had been nearly two months since I'd last updated, so this is my little Easter gift. I've been procrastinating a bit, if I'm honest: I've had this chapter planned out for ages but never got round to finishing writing it until today. ****Hope you guys liked it anyway.**

**My WIP is still progressing, though a little slowly right now. Various Plot Bunnies have been threatening to derail me but I haven't given in to them.**

**I'll try and put up the next chapter in less time than this one.**

**Thanks for reading**

**PT66 xxx**


	23. Chapter 22

I'm not going to tell him.

That much I know for certain. He can't know any of my dreams – that'd just be too personal to share.

My problem is how to avoid telling him, as he's certainly not going to let it drop easily. I could lie and say I can't remember the dream, but I doubt he'd believe me.

I know I should be sleeping now; resting up for what is sure to be an exhausting day tomorrow, but I can't seem to put this out of my mind. It's not that the dream about Ludo is embarrassing; it's just that I don't want him to know what scares me – I wouldn't put it past him to use it against me.

No, I definitely wouldn't be embarrassed by that dream. Some of the others though…

I turn over and bury my face in my pillow, my cheeks burning even though I'm sure no-one is watching. Some of those other dreams would be more than embarrassing – particularly as a lot of them involve him.

It doesn't matter anyway: he'll never know.

But that still leaves to problem of explaining my crying.

It would be too much to hope that he's just forgotten about it. Life seems to be doing its best right now to hammer in the point that it isn't fair, luck will definitely not be on my side in this matter.

I flip over again and stare up at the blue canopy.

It's not a bad room. Neither too big or too small, and luxuriously furnished – I'm surprised Jareth's afforded me such comfort. I was sure I'd be with the servants or in an oubliette somewhere. But he has said many times: he can be generous.

I suppose it's true really. He's only ever done what I've asked of him, and has even agreed to teach me – despite how much of his time it will undoubtedly take up – and I know I could not manage without that. He may be doing it for other reasons, but I cannot deny that it's still generous.

He's even allowed me into the Library. I had a peek around the door earlier and I am certain that the contents of the shelves must be near enough priceless. I'll be spending every free moment I have in there if I can.

Maybe I should make more of an effort to get along with him. It'd definitely make the whole experience easier on the both of us, and maybe I can get home quicker that way.

_Home._

The thought sends a wave of sadness through me. How are they doing without me? Will Toby be worrying? I didn't even let him know that I'd arrived safely.

I tried to call him through the mirror in the corner of my room – though I'm not sure it works both ways – and only got my own reflection back. As far as I know he hasn't tried to call me either.

Then I remember: the mirror.

It wasn't working yesterday, so for all I know Toby's been trying to contact me for hours and hasn't gotten any reply!

I'll have to ask Jareth about that first thing in the morning. Hopefully he'll be able to fix whatever's gone wrong and I'll be able to let Toby know I'm fine.

I'm still puzzled about what could have gone wrong with the mirror. It's worked perfectly for five years and, as far as I know, no-one would have been able to magically tamper with it. Maybe my magic did something while I was there – after all, I still have no control – and stopped it working. I'm really just clutching at straws here, but I can't help but try and puzzle it out.

Either way, I'm sure Jareth will have some answers.

I wonder what I'll learn tomorrow. Not much, considering that my body it apparently too weak, but hopefully he won't spend the whole lesson talking at me – much as I'm sure he'd love to just hear the sound of his own voice.

I haven't noticed any other big changes since I've arrived. After Jareth had left before I'd noticed that my ears seemed a tiny bit longer – though not as long as his yet. It seems that the changes have been happening while I sleep. Maybe I'll wake up in the morning with fae markings around my eyes – that is, if I ever get to sleep!

Though my sleep is never dreamless any more, it's still good to get some. If my dream is a good one then it's a bonus really, enjoyment and rest. I'm not sure when I'm next due a good dream: I had one only a few days ago, so I know that one won't be for a while, but there are others that I haven't had in a few weeks. Maybe another flying dream.

I hope I learn how to fly. It was a dream of mine even before I visited the Labyrinth – just the thought of seeing the ground rushing beneath me gives me a small rush of adrenaline. Perhaps Jareth will teach me to transform into an owl, like he can. Or possibly just teach me to fly without wings.

It's with thoughts of flying that sleep finally comes to me. I'm not sure if that has any effect on what I do dream about, but my wishes are certainly answered.

xxx

_My eyes are closed at first, but I know I'll crash if I carry on like this, so I open them quickly._

_I'm not above the Labyrinth this time. Instead, I can see a mountain range beneath me – possibly the one visible over the maze, but I can't be sure. I certainly can't see the Labyrinth from here at the moment._

_I'm just gliding slowly, not with any particular purpose, just flying for the sake of it._

_I dimly notice that I have wings again._

_After a few minutes I grow bored of just travelling straight and decide to be a little daring._

_I tip my left wing down and bank sharply; sweeping around in a wide arc, which I turn into a spiral by tilting even further sideways. Soon I'm just spinning downwards, not actually moving anywhere in space, just swirling as I fall. I see the ground rushing up towards me and at the last moment I pull out of my dive, head still spinning but I miss the nearest mountain top by a few metres._

_I swoop up high again, putting as much of my strength as I dare into huge wing beats that propel me higher and higher; trying to reach the wispy clouds that I can faintly see above me._

_I don't reach them, but I make it a few hundred metres before I decide to try diving again._

_This time I don't spin; I just let myself plummet straight down, eyes tight shut at first, just feel the wind rush past me and chill me to the bone. I open my eyes after about ten seconds of free fall and have to pull up fast, this time only missing the mountain by a few feet._

_I feel a chill wind hit me from behind, followed by a light spattering of raindrops. I twist around in the air and see dark purple storm clouds looming up behind me. The wind gets stronger, as if it's trying to drag me with it. I flap my wings and try to fly away from the storm, fighting the dragging currents of air._

_Before, I felt confident with my flying, but now I'm afraid. My wings are strong but the wind is stronger, and soon I'm being tossed about like a leaf in a gale – not even sure which way is up any more. Rain pelts me and drenches me to the skin within seconds; I'm shivering, dizzy and scared._

_Then, out of the corner of my eye, I spot the ground; just the faint shadow of a mountain peak. I try to steer myself towards it in a vain attempt to land – even find some shelter from this vicious storm. I manage to turn myself to that I am now heading almost directly for it, but then an even stronger gust of wind catches me and I'm sent into a tumbling spin, this time knowing exactly where I'm heading: straight down. I have no way of stopping myself; I can only watch the ground come up to meet me, my sodden wings useless, screaming wordlessly into the dark._

_I'm still trying to save myself as I crash._

_My world goes black. But the dream isn't over._

* * *

><p><strong>Yay! Another chapter done! This one has been very stubborn in being written.<strong>

**Sorry that this one is mostly thinking again, but it was needed for the story to carry on. Hopefully all dreams will be explained in some way later on.**

**WIP is going well, over 11k words and the first few chapters complete, but still a way to go.**

**I'm afraid there won't be any more chapters coming for a while - at least until the end of June. My A-Level exams are coming up and I really need to get down and focus on them (my career pretty much depends on me doing well in them), so I will be disiplining myself and cutting off fanfic writing until they are over. WIP will also be slowed down to a snail's pace.**

**Hope you've enjoyed this chapter and thank you to all of you who've been reading, watching and reviewing this story - you have no idea how happy you make me. I know what's happening in the next chapter, so rest assured that I will upload it quickly after exam.**

**Thanks for reading**

**PT66 xxx**


	24. Chapter 23

I'm drenched and aching, lying on a hard surface with my head down and eyes shut.

For a little while I just lie there, no curiosity about where I am, just glad to be out the storm. Drops of water run down my face and begin to pool on the floor - soon I'll be lying in a puddle. I slowly wait for my heart rate to return to normal, listening to the steady dripping and my own breathing.

It takes me a few moments to notice I can hear another person breathing as well.

I open my eyes slightly and see the bare, white surface a few centimeters from my nose. So, it's this dream again. And that solves the mystery of whose breathing I can hear.

I slowly shift my arms and push myself up into a sitting position, feeling the ache of my abused muscles. How is it that, even though I'm no longer in bird form, my arms feel like they're going to fall off?

I glance up at the other figure in the room, to see if he's paying any attention to my discomfort. His face is impassive, though – like last time – he's looking ready to say something. I shift around again, propping myself against the wall to make it slightly easier on my body: I might as well be comfortable for what I'm sure is going to be an unpleasant conversation.

I had planned to take the initiative and start the conversation myself but, upon seeing that I'm ready to begin, Jareth decides to preempt me. And he's not shy about jumping straight to the point.

"You'll have to tell him eventually, you know."

I'm confused immediately; "Tell who what?"

Just like Jareth would in the waking world, he rolls his eyes; "You have to tell the Goblin King about your dreams. It won't help you, trying to hide them."

"I doubt it'll harm me either." I shrug.

In a moment he's right in front of my face, his breath brushing my forehead. I recoil, hitting my head on the wall again. I hadn't even had time to blink.

"On the contrary, your dreams could well be vital." He hisses at me, baring his predator-like teeth centimetres from my nose. "There may be far more meaning to them than you realize."

"Such as?" I retort, trying to regain some composure despite my throbbing head.

He draws back, straightening up to stare down at me; "That, I cannot tell you."

"Why not?" I exclaim, annoyed. "You clearly know something. Otherwise you wouldn't be telling me this!"

"I know as much as you do; I'm just being more practical. You can't deny that these dreams started changing the same time that you noticed your change to fae."

I frown, he's got me there. I'm still determined not to back down, however.

"That may be true, but it doesn't mean I _have_ to tell him – and aren't you him anyway?"

His smile is feral, all sharp teeth and no real mirth. It's seems too wild, even for Jareth at his most unpredictable. The tutting sound he makes before answering me, on the other hand, is as Jareth-like as I've ever heard.

"I am no more him than your dream-friends are the real ones, we are dreams and therefore not real. I may look and act to a certain extent like the Goblin King, but we are far from the same."

"You seem pretty similar to me." I mutter, trying to maintain some sort of confidence, though I'm now slightly wary of this dream-creature. At least I have a better idea of where I stand with the real Jareth; this being is entirely new.

Fortunately he does not seem bothered by my denial – it's as if he expected it.

"Protest all you want, but it'll only delay things. Don't you want to return to your family quickly?"

I open my mouth but close it almost immediately, my teeth clicking painfully together. It's true, less than a day away and I already miss them. Not the distance – I've been hundreds of miles away for months at a time before – but the fact that I simply can't go back. At least before there was always the option, now I can't risk putting them in danger.

If these dreams are linked to my magic and they get me back sooner, then I'll damn well spill every detail to His High-and-mighty-ness – sod embarrassment and blackmail material. And that's going to be some gold-dust blackmail.

I can feel my shoulders sagging under the realization of what I have to do – what I have to reveal about myself. Dream-Jareth, meanwhile, is looking satisfied with himself; he's won and it's more than the small joy an argument won. He seems happy to see me defeated.

This spurs my anger yet again.

"I don't suppose you're going to be of any help, are you?" I snap, feeling my rage grow as he looks unperturbed and unconcerned.

"I don't see how I could be of any help," he shrugs nonchalantly; "I can merely suggest logic, not give you ideas."

"So what exactly are you for, besides pissing me off?" My voice has risen a few decibels and I can feel my mood simmering, looking for a release.

His smile just widens, eyes keen with something that – even through my temper – looks suspiciously like anticipation.

"I'm not 'for' anything, my dear. I'm just simply here to make you see."

"See what?!" I'm approaching the pitch of a deranged budgie now and I can feel something building in me that isn't emotion. It feels like hot water filling my lungs, making it harder for me to breath and adding to the need for release.

"What you refuse to."

I let out shriek and launch myself off the floor at him.

I only meant to push him off balance, maybe so he'll hit his head on the wall for once, but as soon as my hands brush his shirt I feel something travel between us like an electric current. It's like the sensation from the last time I was in this dream, only magnified tenfold. I'm thrown backwards with double the force and my whole body slams into the wall, shaking my bones and making my ears ring.

For the second I'm suspended there I can still see the dream-Jareth, through watery and half-blind eyes. He was also knocked back slightly by something but certainly not enough to do any damage. On the contrary, he's looking energized, his hair standing upright and cracking as if with static. When he looks at me it's not with the Goblin King's mismatched eyes anymore: they are pure blue with no visible whites or pupils.

As I fall to the floor again I hear him approach me. I flinch slightly as he touches me but it does not have the same effect as me touching him. He lifts me up by the shoulders and leans me against the wall, tilting my chin up to look into the icy pits that are now his eyes.

"You can't keep me shut up forever," he croaks, in a voice that is no longer the melodic purr of the real Jareth, it almost crackles like his hair and makes me shiver at its eeriness; "sooner or later I must be released. And I cannot control if you will survive it when I do."

"How do I survive, then?" I whisper, feeling the words grate over my lips.

He stares at me for a moment before replying – with almost a touch of sadness, "I don't know."

He releases me and steps back. It feels as though he's letting me fall.

What remains of my vision clouds over, the world slowly dimming to nothing.

And I can hear, faintly, the sound of the other – real – Jareth calling my name.

* * *

><p><strong>I know, I know. I promised I'd carry on with the story once my exams were finished, when I had more time blah, blah, blah. <strong>**Well, yeah, I kind of failed on that front. My exams finished in June and I've had plenty of free time since then, yet I still haven't updated this story. I suck, I know.**

**You guys, on the other hand, are awesome. You've kept on viewing and reviewing and reminding me to come back - and I really did want to remember. I really hope you can forgive me and carry on reading, as I am sticking to my promise and I will finish this story. I'll do it for you guys. ****At least it may me some excuse that just about everything else also ground to a halt while I was away. My WIP needs a jump start and plenty of other things went out the window. I need to kickstart myself again.**

**Meanwhile, life hasn't been too bad. My exams overall went well and I got into my first choice uni, which I'm really enjoying (though I'm slowly being corrupted by the student drinking lifestyle). Overall, life isn't bad.**

**I hope you guys like this chapter, though the writing may be a little rusty after the break.**

**It's good to be back.**

**PT66**


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